


Kenopsia

by skz_jpeg



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, IM NOT HOLDING BACK THIS TIME, Inappropriate Behavior, M/M, but sexy talk will okay, emo hours, inappropriate behavior includes a bunch of swearing, listen tbh i'm not sure if sexy times will actually happen, no sad ending, pls read the notes, sexual talk, sue me, that sums it up right?, yes i'm using all the popular ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-01-13 16:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 81,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18473155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skz_jpeg/pseuds/skz_jpeg
Summary: kenopsia (noun) : the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that was formerly bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet.





	1. Jeongin/Hyunjin

**Author's Note:**

> New story who dis. Remember when I said I wasn't going to do chaptered stories anymore well SIKE BITCHES. HERE IT IS. AND I'M NOT HOLDING BACK. 
> 
>  
> 
> On the real, though, I will not really concentrate on one ship more than the other. I originally was going to make this an WooChan centered fic but up until 2 minutes ago, i've decided to hecks with it. buT IF you notice more WooChan content than the others, this is why.
> 
> Also pls have faith in me...

A crow rests on top of a light post in front of an abandoned house. The day is cloudy, but the rain has yet to fall. A car with a heavily dented hood is left next to the light post which it had hit several days earlier. Not a single living person was in sight but somewhere off in the distance, a few neighborhoods over, what used to be a man limped down the street, hazy eyes and blood coming out of a chest wound. Another man just like him passes him by, except his once blonde hair is now nearly all red and gunky from blood. From inside the abandoned house, a boy keeps watch from the top floor, his bright red hair with the roots growing out is invisible from the outside looking in. He brought the binoculars up to his eyes as he spotted fast movement from down the street, another boy wearing flannel pants and a hoodie, running in his bare feet. He appeared to be being chased by what remained of a woman, her teeth and mouth full of blood from what must have been a recent kill. The boy with the red hair hesitated but as the kid began yelling for help, he couldn’t leave him out there.

He ran down the stairs, not forgetting to grab his hammer and began taking the deadbolt off the door, a second later, he turned the lock over, and then he twisted the knob and opened the door. It seemed like it had just begun raining. He looked down the street and waited until they got closer. The running boy began flailing his arms, his face looked pained, and his yells for help were starting to sound muffled, like he couldn’t yell real words anymore. He was beginning to lose hope. Just as he was about to give up, a yell was aimed towards him.

“HEY! OVER HERE! QUICK!” He spotted the red head of hair on top of a boy around his age waving a hand. The running boy had no time to tell if he was trustworthy or not as he felt a faint touch on his back. She had gotten too close. With a panicked yelp, he began running faster until he ran into the house and slipped on the porcelain tile from the blood on his feet. He slammed his head on the wall of the hallway, making a hole in the plaster as the red-haired boy quickly shut the door and locked it well. The windows on the sides of the door was taped from the outside and inside so that if it cracked, it wouldn’t shatter and give anybody or anything a way to get in from there. Still, he flinched as the woman’s hands hit anything they touched. The boy, although he wasn’t the one running, was out of breath as he turned around and spotted the other one on the floor next to a fresh hole in the wall.

“Oh! Are you okay?” He dropped the hammer on the table next to the door and kneeled next to him. Up close, he could see that he had light brown hair with the roots just beginning to grow out, he must have dyed it right when the city began getting infected. He had a bandana wrapped around his forehead, a black plain hoodie, and those flannel pajama pants. It looked like this guy was about to go to bed. His feet were practically skinless from running on pavements and roads. Apart from him breathing rapidly, the only way he confirmed that he was still alive was him groaning and whining in pain.

“Thank…you.” He said in between breaths.

“What? Oh, yeah, no problem. Couldn’t leave you out there like that, huh?” He gave him a small smile even though he very well could’ve left him for dead, literally.

“Let’s get you on the couch.”

“I…I don’t think I can walk.” He managed to sit up and looked down at his burning feet.

“I’ll carry you.” The red-haired boy stood up and took a while to get a good grip on the other as he lifted him up and stumbled into the living room and setting him down on the navy-blue couch. The boy hissed as he bumped his feet on the ground.

“Sorry! Sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault. Thank you, again. Sorry if I was heavy.”

“It’s not you. I’m just not that strong. I’ll get something to clean your feet off with. Hold on.” He searched through the cabinets in the kitchen and found two huge mixing bowls and a cup. He snatched two of the hand towels from the dishwasher and oven handles and put them over his shoulder as he filled up one of the bowls with water. He carefully carried them to the living room where the other boy had his head tilted all the way back and his eyes closed as he finally started to catch his breath and lower his heart rate. 

“Okay,” the red-haired boy said as he set the bowl down on the coffee table. He looked around before holding one finger up as if to say, ‘one moment’ and ran off again to one of the bedrooms upstairs. He grabbed a few soft pillows and made a stop at the bathroom to get a first aid kit that he saw in there. Then he was waddling down the stairs holding everything and setting them down on the floor in front of the other boy. 

“Um,” he didn’t know how to address him, so he just kept going. “I’m sorry if I hurt you but I need to lift your foot and clean it up.” The other boy sat up straighter and nodded as he braced himself. After lifting one foot and putting the empty bowl underneath it, the red head grabbed the cup and scooped up some water in it and slowly poured the water over the injured foot. The boy clenched his hands, not able to get a good grip on the couch and closed his eyes and mouth up. As the water hit different parts of his foot, he let out a pained grunt every now and then. When the cup emptied, the extra bowl held red water and the foot looked a bit cleaner, but the skin was nearly all gone so it just kept bleeding some more.

“I’m going to have to wrap it up. This is basically an open wound, now.” 

“Wrap it up with what?” He was out of breath again.

“Can you hold your foot up like this for a moment?” The boy nodded and he let go of his foot to rummage through the kit. It was homemade, not store bought so it was bigger and held a bunch more than the regular kits might have. He saw several tubes of antiseptic creams and alcohol wipes as well as a bottle of it, cotton swabs and balls, and several kinds of bandages, including gauze which he was going to use after he cleaned it up some more.

“I’m going to wrap it up in this gauze after I clean it up with some alcohol, so it doesn’t get infected, okay?”

“Ah shit.” He threw his head back again and rubbed his face with his hands. “Okay, just tell me when so I can try to prepare myself.”

“Okay, let me set it up first.” He took out the bottle and opened it. He doesn’t know why he thought it was a good idea to sniff it first. It burned all the hairs in his nostrils and the lashes off his eyes and his eyebrows off his face, but it at least made the injured boy laugh.

“Why the hell did you do that?”

“I don’t even know.” He grimaced but smiled back anyways. He hoped to see him laugh more in the future, he had a nice smile. “Okay, let’s get this over with.” The red-haired boy scooted closer and held the leg up again.

“Ready?” The boy took a few deep breaths before nodding. Slowly, he poured the alcohol over the foot in increments to try to not waste too much of it. The boy yelped in pain and shook his entire body, trying not to move his foot too much.

“Ah! Ah, ah, okay! No more, please!” He put the bottle down, but the alcohol was still stinging his skin. He scratched at his leg as if that’ll help with the burning, but it didn’t.

“I’m sorry. I’ll wrap it up now, okay?” He didn’t wait for a response as he quickly began to wrap it up. It stung a little the entire time he wrapped it but eventually his foot began numbing down. He sighed in relief when the foot was completely wrapped, and he was able to twist his body sideways to fold his leg onto the couch, so his foot was dangling but he wasn’t holding it up himself.

“That sucked.”

“Yeah…you know what else sucks?”

“What?”

“I still have to do the other foot.”

“Aaaaiishhhhh…” The red-haired boy giggled as how he whined but decided to sit back and give him a break before he begun with the other foot.

“You never told me your name.” He asked the injured boy.

“Oh…you didn’t either.”

“I’m Jeongin.” 

“I’m Hyunjin.” They smiled at each other for a good 10 seconds before Hyunjin spoke again. “Thank you. For saving my life and tending to my feet.”

“Why were you barefoot?”

“I was wearing sandals and socks before, but I couldn’t run in them, so I ditched them. And then my socks tore completely so I took them off and here I am now.”

“Oh,…” Hyunjin looked around the living room before his eyes set on what appeared to be a family photo on the wall next to a few miscellaneous pictures.

“This isn’t your house, is it?” Jeongin looked around as well.

“This was my grandparents house. I didn’t visit often but…my parents…I thought that if I came here, I’d reunite with some of my family. But no one was here.” Jeongin sat on the floor with his arms wrapped around his legs as he stared at the rug.

“I was walking my dog.” Jeongin looked up. “It was late at night. I was walking Kkami with every intention to go back and sleep but then…I heard a bunch of screaming and I somehow dropped the leash and I tried to go after my dog but then…this person came around the corner…growling and it had blood all over its mouth and on its clothes and it came right towards me. I tried going home but there were so many of them, so I hid. When I was finally able to get home, no one was there. I don’t know where they are, but I just pray that they’re alive and that I meet up with them again.” Hyunjin’s eyes had begun tearing up and by default so did Jeongin’s. Jeongin unfortunately didn’t have the same positive hopes that he had but he’ll indulge in it for him.

“I’m sure you will, Hyunjin.” They shared another small smile and sat there together as the world gave them a sense of kenopsia.


	2. Jisung/Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i decided i will post all the meetings at once. enjoy the first 4 chapters, binches

Jisung’s eyes opened abruptly as the sound of clanging filled his ears. His heart was racing, and he didn’t give the soreness of his body any attention as he sat up quickly and readied himself for something unknown, but he was only met with his boyfriend’s apologetic smile as he stood in front of a pan on the floor.

“Sorry. Slipped.” He bent down to pick up the pan and smiled at Jisung one more time before putting the pan on the stove.

“One of these days, Minho, you’re going to give me a heart attack.” Jisung laid back down and closed his eyes.

“You’re still young. You’ll die sooner from tripping over your own feet.” He said as he bent down to see if the gas stove still worked when he turned it on and luckily it still did. It was a luxury really; the several mini gas tanks that they have inside the apartment after they went through every single room on their floor to steal them. Minho heated up a can of ravioli for breakfast, a gourmet meal made from Chef Boyardee himself.

“I beg to differ. A wise man once said, ‘date a person named Minho, and he shall cause you a quicker death’.”

“Not quick enough, apparently.” Jisung opened his eyes just to glare at Minho who giggled his little evil giggle that Jisung couldn’t stay mad at.

“You’re a pain in my ass.”

“You’re still not used to me in your ass, yet?” Minho giggled as Jisung sputtered, scandalized.

“That’s it. You’re not allowed anywhere near my ass, anymore.”

“Sure, baby. Tell that to me later tonight.”

“Fuck you.”

“That’s the point, isn’t it?” Jisung grumbled and brought the blankets from the couch bed over his face as Minho laughed evilly once more as he finished heating up the ravioli. Just one can to share. They might have a bunch of canned food, enough to fill up an entire pantry, linen closet, and nearly all the cabinets in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean they want to go through it quickly. They shared one can of food 3 times a day and distracted themselves for the rest of the time to forget that they were still hungry. Minho hated how skinny Jisung has gotten because of it. His chubby cheeks weren’t that chubby anymore no matter how many extra spoonfuls Minho never forgets to put in his bowl when distributing their meals. Minho also lost some weight, mostly in his stomach and thighs but he didn’t care much for that. 

After Minho separated their food into bowls and not forgetting to give Jisung an extra 3 raviolis, he brought the bowls the few feet into the living room after making sure the stove and gas was turned off completely. 

“Here, baby. Eat up.” Jisung threw the covers off him and licked his lips in anticipation for the food as he sat up. Minho stood on the springy couch mattress and handed him his bowl. Jisung immediately shoved a ravioli in his mouth and groaned in contentment as Minho ate one too before sitting down cross-legged next to his boyfriend.

“I swear, no five-star restaurant could top this meal.” Jisung said before feeding himself another ravioli.

“I sure would like to see them try, though.” They ate in silence, Minho finishing before Jisung did. After Jisung was done too, he took the bowls and washed them quickly to not have to worry about it later and laid down again.

“You know what we should do this time?” Minho began.

“What?”

“Steal the movies.”

“Why didn’t we think of that?” 

“Because we had so many but now that we’ve watched them all, let’s get some more.” Minho looked up at Jisung who was still sitting and when they made eye contact, they smiled at each other.

“Let’s do it.” Minho sat back up, kissed his boyfriend once, twice, maybe 5 times before they shoved shoes on their feet and grabbed their weapons of choice. Jisung had a meat cleaver and several forks that he would shove in his pocket. ‘Hey! They can cause some serious damage, okay?’ 

Minho had a hammer and a combat knife with a sheath that he hid behind his back, tucked into his pants.

“Get good ones, okay? None of that ‘Eat. Pray. Love.’ bull shit.” Minho told Jisung as they met up by the door.

“Hey, if I wanna watch ‘Eat. Pray. Love.’ in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, I very well will.” 

“Fine. Then, if you see me with ‘28 Days Later’, I don’t wanna hear about it.”

“Fine.” Jisung took the deadbolt off the top of the door, but before he could unlock it completely, Minho stopped him.

“If something happens, you come here immediately. Don’t worry about me. I’ll meet you here, okay?”

“You say this every time and every time I’m going to say, ‘I’m not leaving you behind.’” Jisung leaned up and kissed his boyfriend softly and slowly as if he might never get the chance to ever again and who’s to say they will?

“I love you. We’re in this together.” Minho nodded once and pecked his lips one more time before Jisung unlocked the door. He wrapped his hand around the doorknob and turned to face the older. Minho nodded one more time and Jisung opened the door just enough for Minho to stick his head through and look up and down the hall. He waited to see if he would hear anything and once, he deemed the coast clear, he pushed the door open wider and they both walked out. They never locked the door thinking if they needed to be quick, they don’t have time to take out the keys to unlock it.

“Where should we start?” Minho asked Jisung.

“Mr. Woo always had the best movies. Every time he saw me, he would tell me the entire story line of whatever movie he watched that day.”

“Let’s start there, then.” They walked to the end of the hallway to Mr. Woo’s door. Minho once again, stepped in first. The door was broken down by Minho himself so there’s no real way of telling if anyone new had went in. Minho and Jisung looked around the place like they always do and once they knew it was safe, they begun looking through Mr. Woo’s collection.

“The Greatest Showman! I’ve been wanting to watch that one!” Jisung yanked it out of the cabinet and looked at the cover.

“Get it. Let me find a bag or something.” As Jisung continued stacking up the movies he thinks are good, Minho went into the only bedroom and began searching for a bag. He hesitated at the closet, knowing what was in there but he was sure there would be a bag there, too. So, he put down his hammer and lifted the collar of his shirt over his mouth and nose and held it there. With his other hand, he opened the closet and although he was holding his breath and his nose, it was like the stench of the decaying body in the closest stung his eyes. He shuddered as he was starting to see the bones from poor old Mr. Woo, but he quickly grabbed a bag from the top of the closet and closed the door back up. He kicked the hammer all the way out of the room and closed the bedroom door before letting himself breathe again.

“This bag is going to smell like death, but it’ll do the trick.” In the end, after picking movies that they’ve heard of or thought they would like, they filled the rest of the bag up with even more movies and then they were out of the apartment. At the same time that Jisung let the door shut, a bang came from behind the door directly across from Mr. Woo’s door. Behind that door were the stairs. There were 2 sets of stairs on both ends of the hallway. The two boys stayed motionless, waiting to see if they would hear it again. A couple of seconds later, the sound of quick footsteps and panicked breathing had Minho and Jisung flying down the hallway and back into their apartment. Jisung went in first and after Minho dumped the bag full of DVDs, he peeked out again. They were on the fourth floor of a five-story building. If there was somebody who wanted to escape the outside world, they’d go to the top floor, right? But this person, or people, decided the fourth floor was good enough and that door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love writing minsung so much. changlix is my go to for emo as hell stories and minsung is my go to for fun/banter like stories.


	3. Felix/Changbin

Felix never should have gotten on that plane. He had so many signs that told him not to. His alarm never went off and he woke up an hour later, halfway to the airport he remembered that he left his plane ticket on the counter in the kitchen so he had to go back and get it, once he got to the airport, he only had 30 minutes to make his flight, and of course they changed the gate last minute making him run all the way to the end, and sure enough he was the very last person on the plane. He should’ve never made it. Maybe then, he wouldn’t be in a residential garbage can trying to hide from the cannibalistic monsters that were roaming around the entire country of South Korea. 

He struggled to stop himself from panicking, but the constricted space didn’t help at all. In the distance he heard the snarls from them, and although they weren’t that close, Felix’s panicked state convinced him that they were right next to him. That’s when he heard footsteps. Just footsteps. No snarls, no dragging of feet, just calm, steady footsteps. Felix held his breath and put both of his hands over his mouth, hoping that they didn’t hear or see him jump in there. Another tear fell down his cheek as the footsteps passed him. After focusing on his relief, he forgot to pay attention to where the footsteps went, if they stopped or kept going and now that he couldn’t hear it anymore, he didn’t know where they were. Felix thought to himself that he was going to risk it. It was nighttime, the street lamps didn’t do much to illuminate the streets but maybe it’ll be enough to hide his peeking head. 

Slowly, he lifted his head over the edge of the lidless garbage can and looked to his left where he thought the footsteps went to. No one. To his right. No one. Just as he was about to duck back down and try to convince himself to get out and run for better cover, the trashcan was aggressively kicked from behind him and he fell over with it. He bumped his forehead on the road, not being able to stop it with his hands on time. He didn’t have time to worry about the immediate blood running down his face as he scrambled to get up. He heard chaotic laughter from behind him. One was closer than the other, a male followed by a female and maybe another male or two a few feet behind him. Felix didn’t turn around to confirm and just bolted. 

He ran in between houses and climbed over fences. He wasn’t even sure if they were following him or not but in a state of panic, he couldn’t stop. He didn’t stop until he climbed over a fence and fell into a pool. It was the shallow end, but it still slowed him down. He quickly waddled through the water and he went up the steps as fast as he could. Not fast enough, though. The sliding back door of the house flew open and someone yelled at him.

“Who the fuck are you?!” His voice was loud and rough, and since it came from behind him, Felix didn’t know if they had a gun or not, so he just put his hands up and panic yelled.

“I’m sorry! I fell! I was running from someone and they-I- I’m sorry! I’ll leave. I won’t come back. I don’t even know your face. I mean, I haven’t seen you yet. I’ll leave. Please, I’m so- “

“Shut up! Jesus,” the guy whisper yelled, not expecting the kid to talk so loud even though he was loud himself. It was more for the added intensity. 

“I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me.” Felix said quietly. 

“I’m going to blindfold you. I won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt me, okay?” Felix nodded, still holding his hands up. He whimpered as he felt a piece of cloth go over his eyes and dangle over his nose. If Felix wasn’t so panicked, he’d thank the guy for unknowingly putting pressure on the cut on his face that was still bleeding. The guy grabbed a hold of both of his wrist and held it tightly behind Felix’s back. He held back the pained whimper he so desperately wanted to let out as the guy led him inside the house. He heard the door slide close and lock before he was told to sit down after his hands were set free. Felix felt around behind him until he felt the soft couch that he was told to sit on. His hands weren’t free for long as the guy grabbed them again and tied them together with something soft. Felix couldn’t tell what they were. He heard some shuffling and a loud clang that caused him to flinch and then the curtains were drawn across the sliding door, a sound he was familiar with.

“What’s your name?”

“F-Felix.”

“Felix? The hell kind of name is Felix? Where are you from?” He heard the voice move across the room as the guy went to sit down somewhere next to Felix.

“Australia.”

“Oh, shit. Should’ve stayed there.” Felix knew that. Of course, he did. He wanted to ask the guy for his name, but he didn’t have the nerve to. Luckily the guy did anyways.

“Name’s Changbin. I’m not the only one here but he’s still knocked out upstairs.”

“K-knocked out?” For Felix, that meant like…head trauma knocked out. Changbin chuckled, a sound that sounded much softer than Felix would’ve thought.

“Asleep. He’s asleep. We were friends before this whole shit happened and as much as I would love to strangle him sometimes, I wouldn’t want to hurt him like that.” 

“O-oh… that’s nice to hear.”

“Hmm.” A few more seconds of silence filled the air before Changbin spoke again. “I’m uh…I’m going to take the blindfold off, okay? But just the blindfold.” Felix nodded before he felt the blindfold being slid off his head. He hissed as it brushed the cut on his forehead and then sighed as the cooler air hit it.

“Ooh, that looks like it hurts.” Felix’s eyes were slightly blurry from being blindfolded but he didn’t need 20/20 vision to see that this guy was a visual. A sight for sore eyes. 

“How’d that happen? Did you hit your head in the pool?”

“U-um…no, it’s the people I was running from…” Changbin shook his head and stood up to walk to the kitchen that was next to the living room.

“I don’t understand why people act that way. There’s no reason to attack people who are just trying to survive like they are.” He spoke as he wet a towel and wrung it out before walking back towards Felix.

“May I?” He held up the towel when he reached him.

“Y-yes, thank you.” Felix offered him his head and tried to not shiver as he felt Changbin gently sweep his wet hair out of the way. He was very soft as he patted around the area and even softer as he went directly over it. Felix only flinched a few times before the remaining blood and muck was cleaned off.

“I don’t think you’ll need stitches, so I’ll just go get a band aid.” Changbin turned and walked a few feet away before he turned around.

“Don’t try anything funny.” He pointed a finger at Felix, but Felix never had any intention to. Maybe Changbin knew that which is why he trusted him unattended as he went upstairs to get band aids. Whoever lived here before must have had a kid and so to amuse Felix, he grabbed the Scooby-Doo themed band aids and brought it downstairs.

“These should do the trick.” He showed it to Felix and the injured boy couldn’t help but laugh.

“I suppose so.” Changbin took one out and carefully applied it on Felix’s forehead. 

“Thank you, Changbin.” Felix gave him a small smile and Changbin couldn’t handle it, so he looked away and focused on throwing away the small extra pieces of paper.

“You should change into dry clothes. The last thing you need is a cold, right now.”

“O-oh, I lost my bag a few days ago.” Changbin nodded.

“I’ll find you something.” Changbin once again left him alone downstairs as he rummaged through the closets. He managed to find a pair of sweatpants that might be a bit too small, but it was still better than wet skinny jeans, and he found a black t-shirt along with a jacket soft enough to sleep in.

“Um…Felix, come here.” Felix slowly stood up from the couch and followed Changbin up the stairs. Changbin stood in front of a bathroom and reached for Felix’s hands. He began untying what Felix now knows is a tie over his wrists, Changbin gave him one last warning.

“Just because I put a Scooby-Doo band aid on your forehead doesn’t mean I won’t hesitate to throw you out if you turn your back on me or Seungmin. You understand me?” Felix for the first time saw the cold look on Changbin’s face, something Felix realized he never wanted to see aimed towards him again.

“I understand. I w-won’t, though. I’m not much of a fighter.”

“You never know what one is really capable of until they’re shoved in a corner. Remember that.” Changbin crumbled the tie in his hands and pointed to the pile of clothes on the counter of the bathroom.

“You can take a shower. Clean off some of that chlorine and shit away. We don’t have bar soap, but you can use the shampoo for that.” Felix nodded and walked into the bathroom. He turned around to face Changbin who just reached over and grabbed the doorknob and closed the door along with a small smile. Felix took his first deep breath and let it out before looking at himself in the mirror. He was not cut out for this. He was scared of the dark and slept with pillows on both of his sides because he swears a monster will reach out and touch him otherwise. He’s not made to survive in a world doomed with zombies and unprovoked aggressive people. He has no hope he’ll make it to the end alive, but he’ll be damned if he didn’t try.


	4. Woojin/Chan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man i'm tired just even writing this  
> can u imagine running this much shiiiiii

Woojin swung his arm around, the axe held in his hand made purchase on the skull of the walker in front of him. He kicked it away from him in order to get his axe back and they fell to the floor along with the other two. His chest rose up and down as he struggled to catch his breath. For a moment, just for a moment, he let himself rest. He sat on one of the stools in front of the bar of the diner that he went in, needing to get away from the rain. 3 workers didn’t get to escape, and they were stuck as zombies in the backroom until Woojin walked in. 

After he caught his breath enough, Woojin put his axe in the holder on his side and grabbed two of the walkers by one of their legs and began hauling them out of the door. No way was he going to chill in the diner with 3 rotting bodies next to him. After he dragged the last one out, he locked the first front door and then the second one, glad that there were two barriers that could gain him some time if he ever had to get out quickly. He wiped the sweat and blood from his forehead as he looked around the diner. Some plates were still on the table from the customers that had ordered them. They were long spoiled now. Woojin could barely even differentiate what smell was the rotten food or decaying bodies. 

He walked around the bar and went into the back. In the kitchen there were a few cans of corn and ham. He tried his luck first with the corn and used one of the butcher knives to cut it open. He looked around for something to eat with and found a big spoon. It’ll do. As he began shoving big spoonfuls of corn in his mouth, he looked around some more. There were 3 other doors that he still needed to look behind. He ate a bit more until he was satisfied enough to set it down and investigate further.

The first door he went through was a small bathroom for the workers. He closed the door and went to the next one. This one was an office for one person. Maybe the manager. He left it open and went to the last door. He knew this was the fridge. It was a heavy metal door and when he opened it, he really should not have been shocked to see what he did. He should’ve been prepared. But he wasn’t. And he was thrown back as a freezing cold walker jumped him. Woojin managed to act fast and threw them over his shoulder. He quickly got up and went to take his ace out but it got stuck and as the walker was running towards him. He ran to the other side of the kitchen and looked around for the butcher knife he used earlier. He snatched it up and as he turned around to protect himself, the walker jumped him again. Woojin groaned in pain as his back hit the metal table. He struggled to hold the zombie’s jaws away from his skin. Still, he was lucky the butcher knife didn’t fall out of his hands. Once again, he lifted his arm and swung the butcher knife into the walker’s skull, killing them one last time. He didn’t even care to retrieve it again and let them fall with it. Woojin turned around and put both of his hands on the table and leaned over it in pain.

“Mother fucker.” He cursed. He leaned his entire top half of his body over the table now and focused on slowing down his heartbeat again. He’s okay. He’s still alive. He didn’t get bitten and he got no scratches. He did it. He painfully stood straight back up and shuffled back towards his giant can of corn and ate another spoonful before walking towards the manager’s office, this time with his axe in his hands. He checked under the desk just to make sure nobody was hiding, and he opened the metal cabinets even though he knew a person couldn’t fit in there. There was another door that lead out into the back. How did he know? Somebody just banged on it. 

At first the knob was turned and yanked on aggressively, making Woojin freeze and then it seemed like they punched the door out of frustration and a muffled ‘Fuck!’ was heard and then nothing else. Woojin quickly went to the front of the diner and, through the window, saw a head of blonde curly hair run across and up to the front door. Blondie still hasn’t seen Woojin as he tried opening that door too. The guy banged on the door again before cupping his hands to look inside the diner better. That’s when Blondie saw Woojin.

“Hey! Hey, let me in! Please!” Woojin hesitated as the guy knocked on the glass door.

“Please! Two of them are chasing me!” He banged on the door some more. “They’re coming! I can hear them! Please! Let me in!” Maybe it was the look of honest horror in the guy’s face but Woojin ran over to the door and unlocked the first one but just as he got to the second one, the guy’s face turned pale white at the sight of one of the walkers that finally caught up to him. The guy screamed and tried running backwards to get away, but the zombie was too quick.

Woojin unlocked the door just as the second zombie arrived. Woojin quickly took care of him and went to help the other guy who was still screaming in terror. At least hearing him scream meant that he was still alive. 

“HEY!” Woojin yelled to try and get the walker’s attention and it worked long enough for Woojin to once again, swing his arm and hit them in the face with the back of the axe, knocking them to the side. He didn’t think attempting to slice through its head while they were on top of a living human was a good idea. It bought them both enough time to run back to the diner and go inside. Woojin had just locked the first door when the remaining walker had slammed its entire body against it. Woojin flinched, thinking the glass would have broken but luckily it didn’t, and he was entering the diner again, locking that second door. He turned around to see the blonde guy staring back at him with wide eyes. Woojin grabbed his wrist and led him to the back at the manager’s office. “Sit down.” The guy did just that and gladly accepted one of the water jugs that were on the shelf next to the desk. Woojin got one for himself, too. They stayed in silence, not looking at each other as they caught their breath, once again.

“I dropped my gun.” Blondie spoke first. “I…had a goddamn gun and I dropped it.” He sighed in frustration.

“If it makes you feel better…before I found this axe, I used my shoes to protect myself.” Blondie looked at him incredulously before letting out a laugh.

“I’m just imagining that. Must not have gone too well, huh?”

“Well enough. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“Mm. Good thing, too. I surely would’ve died just then.” He let out a humorless laugh before his face turned serious again. The thought it of it being a reality scared him.

“Hey, don’t think about it too much. We’re safe here for now.” He nodded and played with the cap of the water jug.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Woojin. Kim Woojin. You?”

“Bang Chan.”

“Nice to meet you, Bang Chan.” He held a hand out for him to shake.

“You, too, Kim Woojin.” Chan accepted the handshake just for him to squeeze a little too hard as they heard a loud crash from the front. 

“Wait here.” Woojin gripped his axe once more and peeked out into the front to see that that one zombie was now 4 zombies and those 2 doors were now 1 door.

“Shit. We gotta go. There’s four of them and they broke through the first door.” Chan began panicking once again.

“Fuck! I-I don’t have a weapon.” He looked around the office trying to find something. Woojin went into the kitchen and yanked out the butcher knife from the walker’s head. He quickly cleaned it off on their clothes before going back to the room. 

“Here. Don’t drop it.”

“Very fucking funny.” Before Woojin could respond, the second door broke, and the sound of growls and snarls became even louder. Woojin quickly shut and locked the door to the office.

“Out! Now!” Woojin pointed to the back door and Chan quickly opened it and they both ran out, each not forgetting to bring their jugs of water.

“I just came from this direction. There’s an apartment building not too far. It looks safe enough.” Chan told him as they ran.

“Lead the way then.” Woojin looked around and nothing was following them, but they never stopped their steady jog. A few minutes and turns later, Chan pointed to the light-yellow apartment building.

“There it is.”

“Let’s go. Quickly.” Just as they made it across the street, the growls and snarls came back. They looked around to see where it was coming from and Chan was the first to see them gathered by the front entrance of the building.

“Fuck! They’re blocking the entrance.” Chan slowed down, trying to come up with a Plan B.

“Let’s go around the building. Quick! Go!” Woojin pushed Chan to move and they ran towards the back with 3 walkers following them.

“Check that door!” Woojin turned around and held his axe up as Chan checked the door.

“It’s open!” Chan yelled out towards Woojin as the zombies ran around the corner.

“Go in!” 

“Hurry!” Woojin ran in and Chan struggled to pull the door closed since it didn’t have a proper handle. Just something to push it open. As he closed it, the walkers banged against it.

“Come on. There’s nothing to lock it.” Woojin lead them both up the stairs a few floors. He stopped at the fourth floor.

“We should find cover. Leave the water here. We’ll come back for it. First, we need to clear the rooms and we’ll might need both hands for that.” Chan agreed and put down his water, trying to ignore the pounding downstairs.

“Are you ready?” Chan took a deep breath before nodding.

“Okay. Remember, go for the heads. That’s the only way to kill them.” Chan nodded once more. Woojin nodded back and turned towards the door before slowly opening it.


	5. Jeongin/Hyunjin/Seungmin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im. too. excited. for. this. story. i. can't. stop. writing.

“Uno!” Hyunjin yelled after slamming two 5’s on the coffee table.

“Ahh noooo!!” Jeongin fell backwards onto the floor. Hyunjin just giggled evilly.

“That’s the third game in a row that I’ve won.” Hyunjin put his remaining card down and began collecting all the cards. “Gimme your cards.” 

“I’m convinced you cheated.” Jeongin said as he sat up and put the cards in the pile.

“Pfft, you can’t cheat in Uno.”

“Yes, you can. I would know ‘cause my brother always hid his cards under his leg so he always won.”

“Then why didn’t you expose him?”

“Because he was younger. I let him win even though he was cheating.” Jeongin began feeling melancholic at the mention of his brother. He missed him and his parents. He knows he can’t get them back.

“Ah…I didn’t cheat though. You’re just bad at this game.” Hyunjin teased trying to get another smile out of the younger. And although it worked, Hyunjin could tell it was forced. After he put the cards back in the small box, Hyunjin patted the spot next to him on the couch.

“Come. Let’s get to know each other some more.” Jeongin complied and sat cross legged on the couch facing the older.

“Okay so, how about we play 20 questions?” Hyunjin suggested.

“Sounds good.” Jeongin nodded.

“Okay. I’ll start. Hmm…” Hyunjin put a finger over his chin and tapped it as he thought of a question. “Ooh! What school did you go to?”

“SOPA.”

“NO WAY!” Jeongin flinched and laughed at Hyunjin’s excitement. “So, did I! Wooow, imagine. We probably passed each other in the hallway and never would’ve known this is how we’d meet.”

“Mmn. Not the best way to meet, huh?” Jeongin giggled.

“Ah, don’t remind me.” They were silent for a while. “Your turn.” Hyunjin reminded Jeongin.

“Mm…what were you hoping to study?”

“I actually was hoping to be an interior designer. I like making a space look nice and inviting.” Hyunjin said, touching the couch with the palm of his hand.

“You can still do that. Just now your challenge is to make it safe for us to be in as well as pretty.” Hyunjin rolled his eyes but smiled anyways.

“Yeah, that’ll be a challenge. My turn.” Before Hyunjin got the chance to ask a question, they heard yelling coming from down the street. Jeongin immediately stood up and out of habit ran towards the stairs but then he remembered Hyunjin couldn’t even stand on his feet.

“Jeongin-ah!” Hyunjin yelled out for him trying to see where he went. Jeongin cursed under his breath and quickly snatched the hammer that he left on the entry table and ran back into the living room.

“Get down.” Hyunjin nodded and with teary eyes laid down, trying to ignore how much his feet ached when he set them on top of the couch. Jeongin crouched down next to Hyunjin’s head on the floor and sat facing the back sliding door. It was starting to darken outside now but luckily, they haven’t turned on any lights or candles, so it was dark inside, giving them some cover.

“You think they’ll pass us?” Hyunjin whispered to him as the yelling got closer.

“I hope so. Why would they stop here?” Hyunjin reached over and grabbed Jeongin’s free hand and held it as the sound from outside got closer and closer and closer. Hyunjin clenched his eyes shut and the last thing he wanted to happen, happened. A sound came from the garage. They both turned to look at the door to the garage that was right next to the living room. If anyone opened that door, they would immediately see Jeongin and Hyunjin.

“Tell me that door is locked.” Hyunjin whispered.

“I-I never checked.” Jeongin admitted. Why would the garage door be unlocked though? Well if the door in the garage that led outside was unlocked then who’s the say this one wasn’t?

Jeongin stood up but Hyunjin hesitated to let his hand go.

“No, don’t leave me.”

“I’m going to hide next to the door. If they open it, I’ll hit them.” Jeongin held up the hammer and although he really didn’t want to, Hyunjin let go of his hand and nodded. Jeongin quickly put his back up against the wall next to the door and waited. By now, the yelling had passed them, and they could hear them getting further away. But from this close to the door, Jeongin could tell someone was in there. Were they trying to find cover from those people? Should Jeongin give them a chance? No. He couldn’t risk it when Hyunjin couldn’t walk. He had to protect them both. 

After a minute, Jeongin heard movement from the garage. Jeongin put a finger up to his mouth as he made eye contact with Hyunjin. Hyunjin nodded and Jeongin brought his hammer up and he held it like it was a bat. His hands were shaking. Sure, he knew he had to protect himself, but he’s never hit another human with the intention of inflicting enough harm to stop them from hurting him. He held his breath as the door knob slowly twisted. He silently prayed that it was locked but as it creaked open, Jeongin’s heart sank. It’s now or never.

Slowly the door opened all the way. From Jeongin’s point of view, he couldn’t see who it was at all. But from Hyunjin’s point of view, he could see that it was just another kid maybe around his age. Hyunjin could see Jeongin about to swing and yelled for him to stop.

“WAIT, STOP!” Both Jeongin and the kid in the garage jumped with the latter falling backwards.

“Hyunjin, wha—”

“It’s just a kid.” Hyunjin pointed at him. Jeongin stood in front of the doorway and looked at him, still holding the hammer up with one hand.

“Oh! Hi, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you. I’m not going to hurt you.” Jeongin said taking the two steps down into the garage. The kid didn’t have much trust in him though as he dragged himself backwards.

“Yeah, I find that hard to believe when you have a fucking hammer in your hand.”

“Well, can you blame him? We hear yelling outside and then noise coming from the garage. You’ve seen the world out there. We can’t trust anyone.” Hyunjin said from inside the house. Jeongin walked up to the door that led outside and locked it. He then went to the garage door and twisted the thing that locked it so no one could lift it up manually from the outside.

“Come on. Everything is locked now.” Jeongin held a hand out for the guy still on the floor.

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“I stopped him from hitting you, didn’t I?” Jeongin pointed towards Hyunjin like he had a point and sent the kid a smile. He eventually sighed and accepted the hand. As he stood up, he patted off the dust and dirt from his clothes. Jeongin motioned for him to go in first and he did. He looked around the darkening house as Jeongin closed and locked the door.

“What’s your name?” Jeongin asked him. The kid hesitated to tell him so Jeongin decided to introduce himself first. “I’m Yang Jeongin. I’m 18 years old.” He smiled at him. He nodded and looked at the other guy still on the couch.

“Hwang Hyunjin. 19.” 

“Kim Seungmin. 19 as well.”

“Ugh, you’re both older than me. This sucks.” Jeongin said as he went into the kitchen. “Seungmin-ssi, help me bring these candles into the living room.” Seungmin took two small steps towards him before pointing to Hyunjin.

“Why can’t he do it? Aren’t you two together or whatever.”

“I uh, kind of can’t walk in case you haven’t noticed my heavily wrapped feet.” Hyunjin flinched as he lifted both of his legs by grabbing onto his pants and lifting them up.

“Oh…” was all he said before he complied and helped bring 3 candles and a lighter into the living room. He set them down on the coffee table along with the 4 Jeongin was holding.

“Okay, now, light them up and I’ll close all the blinds.” Seungmin did as he was told and soon, they were all sitting around the living room staring at the flames.

“What’s your story?” Hyunjin asked Seungmin who looked at his feet and back up to his eyes.

“What’s yours?” Hyunjin nodded and looked away.

“Touché.” 

“Um, I found Hyunjin-hyung running in his bare feet that’s why they’re wrapped up ‘cause the skin kind of came off.” Jeongin explained and Hyunjin gave him a look as if to say, ‘why did you tell him that?’ Jeongin slouched in his seat next to Hyunjin on the couch.

“Why the hell were you barefoot?”

“Why the hell did you sneak into the garage?” Hyunjin fired back. Seungmin was silent for a moment and Hyunjin debated on whether to apologize or not when Seungmin began talking.

“We were ambushed. There were 3 of us and 5 of them.” Jeongin and Hyunjin listened quietly as Seungmin spoke while staring at the candles. “Felix, he was new to us. He joined us about 3 or 4 days ago. Anyways, near the house we were in, there were these people who just loved to torment everyone for no reason. That’s why Felix even found us, ‘cause he was running away from them. But then they broke into our house and we had to make a run for it. I accidentally went a different way than Changbin-hyung and Felix and I meant to circle around and find them, but I found those 5 instead and they chased me here.” They were silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry you got separated.” Jeongin said to him. Seungmin nodded and readjusted the way he was sitting.

“Come morning, I’m going to go look for them. I’ll be out of your hair by sunrise.” Seungmin silently promised.

“I mean, you don’t have to go. I can help you look for them, bring them back here. Your house isn’t safe anymore, I’m assuming. You’ll need some place to go.”

“Changbin-hyung, Felix, and I will figure that out.” Jeongin deflated at that. Jeongin didn’t want to be alone. Although he had Hyunjin now, it will take a while for him to heal and Jeongin was scared of being the only person available to fight.

“Okay, then. We can’t force you to do anything.” Hyunjin said and looked over at Jeongin who looked a little too sad. Hyunjin put a hand on his knee and when they made eye contact, he silently asked him if he was okay. Jeongin just nodded but didn’t force a smile like he always did. Instead, he grabbed Hyunjin’s hand and they all sat in silence.


	6. Jisung/Minho/Woojin/Chan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> binch i skipped my class to write this chapter whyyyyyyyyyy am i liike thiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssss

Minho slowly and softly closed the door, making absolutely sure it didn’t make any creaking noises loud enough for them to hear it. As he went to let go of the handle, he heard voices at the end of the hallway. 

“This door was kicked in.” One said.

“You think someone’s in there?” Another one said.

“Nah. They wouldn’t be protected in here.” Minho realized every single door was kicked open by Minho himself except for theirs. 

“Shit.” Minho swore under his breath. As quickly and quietly as he could, he locked the door and put the deadbolt on but as he did so, it made a click loud enough for everyone to freeze.

“Was that you?”

“No. It came from over there.” Minho backed up slowly and pointed to the bedroom. Him and Jisung hid away in there, locking that door as well.

“What do we do?” Jisung asked him frantically. 

“I don’t know. Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Minho paced around the room and ran a hand through his hair. That’s when they heard the doorknob from the front door move.

“Why is this the only locked door?”

“Maybe they’re dead in there.”

“I don’t think so.” A few more moments of silence led to a solid kick to the door.

“They’re gonna knock it down!” Jisung stated. They can’t kick it down, then they’d have nowhere to go. As another kick hit the door, Minho had to think quickly. He could let them in, pray that they won’t try to kill them, and they can make an alliance to keep the apartment door intact. Or, he could let them, they kill them both and that would be the end. Minho actually didn’t know which one was better but before he could talk himself out of it, he was running out of the bedroom.

“Okay! Stop! Stop! We can talk this out just don’t break the door in!”

“How many of you are in there?!” He heard the first voice yell.

“Just 2.” Minho knew they were only 2 as well so he didn’t bother to ask back.

“We’ll let you in if you promise us one thing.”

“What is it?” The other voice said much softer than the first one.

“You don’t try to hurt us or rob us, and we’ll do the same for you. There’s plenty to go around, okay?”

“…Okay.” Minho hesitated for a moment longer and turned around to face Jisung who was staring at him through the opened bedroom door.

“Stay there,” Minho mouthed to him. Jisung gulped and nodded, gripping the meat cleaver in his hand even tighter. Minho then unlocked the door but kept the deadbolt on. As he peaked through the opening, he saw two guys, one holding an arm out so the other stayed back but they both held their weapons up. Minho determined if they really were up to no good, they would’ve slammed through the door the moment it unlocked.

“There’s no need for that here. I promise.”

“Are there really only two of you?” The slightly taller one said.

“I can ask you guys the same thing. Don’t forget that this was our hiding place first not to mention our own apartment before the world went to shit.” The blonde one was the first to lower his weapon down and although the other slowly followed, he still looked ready to attack. 

“I’m going to close the door and take the lock off. Wait 3 seconds and then open the door. No funny business, okay?” The blonde guy nodded, and Minho looked pointedly at the other one. The blonde guy hit his shoulder softly and then the taller rolled his eyes before nodding. Minho then did what he said he would and ran back towards the bedroom door. He stood in front of Jisung and waited, watched as the door slowly swung open. The other two stayed by the doorway until they made eye contact with Minho and Jisung. 

“You can come in. Close the door.”

“You sure you trust us all in a closed space?” Minho decided he didn’t like the taller guy.

“I guess we’ll have to find that out.” The blonde guy pushed the other in and then closed the door, only locking the doorknob. They looked around before their eyes landed on the gas tanks.

“Why do you have so many?” The blonde guy asked

“Why do you think all the doors have been kicked open? This entire floor is safe from people and zombies.” Minho responded.

“What about the rest of the building?” 

“We’re not too sure about that. But we haven’t heard anybody until now.” Jisung spoke up this time. The blonde guy nodded but the taller one didn’t let his guard down for even a second.

“Um…I’m Chan. By the way.” He said raising a hand up. Chan looked at his partner and gently nudged him with his shoulder. They looked at each other before grumpy pants sighed.

“Woojin.”

“I’m Minho. This is my boyfriend, Jisung.” Jisung gave them a small smile and a wave which Chan gave back once more.

“Are you two boyfriends?” Jisung asked them and Minho smirked as Chan’s cheeks turned bright red and although Woojin’s face remained stoic, he didn’t fail to notice his neck turn red.

“N-no! We just met like…a half hour ago or something. He…saved my life.” Chan’s blush didn’t let down and Woojin couldn’t stop himself from sneaking a peek at him.

“Anyways, we should get some things settled, shouldn’t we?” Woojin spoke up.

“Like what?”

“If this building is safe, we’d like to stay here, too.”

“Oh, sure. Just not with us.” Minho told them.

“Well we can’t stay in the other rooms. They don’t have locks.”

“Then go to a different floor.” Woojin began looking frustrated.

“And what if there are zombies all over that floor?”

“What do you think you should do? Dance with them?” Jisung put a hand over Minho’s chest.

“Relax, babe. We’re all on edge right now. Let’s be civilized.” Jisung addressed the end to all of them. Chan agreed with them. Minho and Woojin sighed and Minho took a step back, letting Jisung speak for the both of them.

“I’d say the fifth floor is your best bet. All the time that we’ve lived here, we were always able to hear the slightest sound from up there and since the…incident, we haven’t heard a thing. You can try getting to that room first and then dealing with the rest.” Chan nodded.

“Thank you. Um, will you be helping us?” Jisung hesitated and turned to Minho.

“Jisung and I already risked our lives clearing this floor. We’ve had one too many close calls and we’ve been fine all this time. I’m sorry but I’ll only help you get to that room. I can pick the lock, help you clear it out but after that, I won’t go back up there.” Woojin looked deadly as he walked over to the door.

“Fine. Same goes for you then. If the fourth floor goes to shit, we won’t help you either.” Minho’s jaw clenched and Chan hesitated to follow him.

“I’ll meet you by the stairs. I gotta talk to Jisung real quick.” Minho told them.

“Take your time.” Chan assured him and he reached around Woojin to open the door. As Woojin walked out and started going towards the stairs, Chan turned around.

“I’m sorry for him. I don’t know him very well, but I don’t think he’s that bad of a guy. Or else he wouldn’t have helped me, right?” Jisung gave him a tight-lipped smile and Minho just didn’t answer.

“Thank you for even offering to help us clear that room. I really appreciate it. If you need help, I’ll help. Woojin doesn’t speak for the both of us on that one. Okay?” They gave him a nod and with a smile, Chan followed Woojin. Minho turned to face Jisung.

“Why were you acting so hostile towards them?” Jisung softly hit Minho’s chest.

“Uh, did you not see the way that big guy was talking to me? Ungrateful piece of shit.” Minho sneered.

“But at least Chan was nice. Don’t make Chan go through a hard time just because Woojin was acting like an asshole.”

“Whatever. No promises.”

“Are you really going up there?” Minho looked back at Jisung to see him staring Minho’s chest as if he couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“Just for that one room, baby. I’ll come back to you.” He held his boyfriend’s face with his hands and tilted his head until they made eye contact. “I’ll always come back to you. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“Yeah, you better not.” Jisung tried joking.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Minho leaned in and kissed his lips the same way he did every time they leave the apartment; soft and slow. If this is the last time, he gets to kiss him, he wants it to be magical each and every time.

“Wait for me here. If things go wrong, I’ll shout for you and you be ready to open that door for me, okay?” Jisung took a shaky breath and let out before nodding.

“You better come back through that door.”

“I promise.” He pecked his lips one more time, hoping that it won’t be the last time.


	7. Felix/Changbin

Felix once again found himself running from the very same people he encountered just 3 days ago. Except now he had someone holding his hand and running with him. He had no idea where they were going and he’s not sure if Changbin knew either but after running for a few minutes, they found a motorhome that was left on the side of the road. Changbin hoped it was open and nothing was in it.

“This way, Felix.” They ran towards the motorhome and stopped before they went in.

“Hyung, we don’t have any weapons.” Felix said out of breath. Changbin looked around and let go of Felix’s hand to grab two huge rocks.

“Better than nothing. Stay here first. If there’s something in there, I don’t want to bump into you if we need to run away.” Felix nodded. His entire body has been shaking the moment the front door was forced open. Changbin’s hands were shaking too but he managed to hide it well. He was the hyung, he needed to be the strong one. He tried the door and it was unlocked. The door squeaked as he pulled it open. He took a deep breath and sent a reassuring smile back to Felix before he hesitatingly walked up the two steps into the motorhome. He tapped on the wall next to him and waited to see if a zombie would pop up. When he didn’t hear any snarls or growls, he kept going. He found a kitchen knife on the floor and he quickly picked it up. With his new acquired weapon. The door in the back was closed and he was dreading opening it. He took another deep breath and looked back. Felix was peeking his head out from behind the half wall at the entrance of the motorhome. Changbin held a hand out then brought a finger up to his mouth. Felix nodded and held his rock a bit tighter.

Changbin turned back around and held his breath before knocking on the door once. He heard nothing on the other side which only left the possibility of a living human ready to attack him for entering their motorhome. Changbin prepared for the worst as he put his hand on the handle. Like ripping off a band aid, he yanked the door open to reveal an unmade bed and a guitar. Nothing else. He scoffed in disbelief and a smile started spreading on his face. He turned around to tell Felix that the coast was clear but all he heard was the sound of Felix screaming.

“HYUNG!” 

“FELIX!” Changbin ran down the length of the motorhome to see Felix on the floor with a zombie on top of him. Changbin’s eyes widened as he quickly jumped out of the RV and shoved the knife deep into its skull and pushed it off of Felix when it went limp. Felix was still whimpering in fear and the shakiness of his body was uncontrollable at this point.

“Come on. Get in the RV.” Changbin helped Felix stand up and once he got in the motorhome, he turned around to retrieve the knife.

“Hyung, come back!” Felix yelled.

“I’m coming hold on!” Changbin yelled back. “Just gotta get this knife out. Jesus, it’s really in there.” Changbin put the bottom of his foot on top of the zombie’s head and tried yanking it out. Just then he heard more snarls heading his way. He looked up and saw a single zombie haul-assing towards him.

“Shit!”

“Forget the knife, Changbin. Just get in here!”

“Wait!” He grunted as he felt the knife getting loose, and with one more pull, it was out. “Aha! I got it! Oh, shit!” Changbin stood up, holding the knife up just to realize the zombie was now a few feet in front of him. He quickly whirled around and dove into the RV leaving Felix to frantically try to close the door though the zombie managed to stick its arm in the way. Felix yelled and grunted as he struggled. Changbin stood up, moved Felix out of his way and kicked the zombie in the chest, making it fall backwards and then he closed and locked the door. The both of them then ran to the back and did the same with that door. Changbin put his back to the door and slowly slid down it. Felix had his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Will this ever end?” Felix said, falling down onto the unmade bed.

“I’m afraid it won’t be any time soon.” After a few minutes of their breaths returning back to a normal pace, Changbin stood up, using the door to push himself up. They both froze as they heard the same yelling that made them run in the first place. They ducked down hoping that they hadn’t seen them go in the motor home. The zombies were momentarily distracted by them and they heard as one of the guys slashed through its head with their weapon. Changbin and Felix remained quiet far long after the yelling stopped, just to make sure. 

“We should sleep.” Changbin stood back up and kneeled on the bed and shut the curtains on the windows.

“I don’t know how anyone can sleep knowing what’s going on outside.” Felix said, dragging himself to lay down on the far side of the bed to leave room for Changbin.

“They can’t get us in here. We just have to be quiet.” Changbin said softly. Felix let out a shaky sigh. As Changbin sat next to Felix, he saw a single tear fall from his closed eye.

“Lix, we’re safe for now.”

“For now. What about tomorrow? Or even 3 hours from now?” Felix shoved his fists into his eyes trying to keep the tears in that kept falling anyways.

“One minute at a time, Lix. That’s how we have to live from now on.” Changbin laid down next to him using his elbow to hold himself up on his side. Changbin grabbed one of Felix’s fist and tried holding it. Felix didn’t hesitate to let him.

“We should take advantage of right now. We’re safe in here and there’s a bed to sleep on. Let’s sleep, yeah?” Felix sniffed a few times and rubbed at his eyes before holding Changbin’s hand with both of his. 

“W-will you sleep, too?”

“If you want me to.” Felix took a while to respond.

“Hyung?” His voice was soft and the most child-like that Changbin’s ever heard it be.

“Yeah, Lix?”

“I’m sorry if this is too much to ask, I mean I know we just met but…can you cuddle me?” Changbin stiffened slightly. He never even cuddled Seungmin and he’s been friends with him for 5 years. Speaking of Seungmin, Changbin prayed he was all right and that he made it to somewhere safe. He knew he had to find him first thing tomorrow morning. They made a vow that they would never leave the other until the very end. 

“Yeah. Come here, Felix.” Changbin laid down on his back and opened both of arms for Felix to cuddle into him. Felix wasted no time in doing so. He wrapped both of his arms around the older and let one of his legs rest on top of Changbin’s. The older allowed it and he didn’t mind it. He’s never cuddled anyone like that before, but he was warm from the inside out.

“Do you want the blankets?”

“Oh, yeah.” Felix unwrapped himself and tried yanking the blankets from under them. Changbin lifted himself up to help him and soon they were cuddling again under the blankets. Changbin made sure the knife was in close reach before he truly settled. He let his fingers play with Felix’s hair. It was soft and long enough to twist and if it made Felix fall asleep faster, he’ll do it all night.

“Hyung?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think Seungmin’s okay?”

“I bet. He’s a stubborn kid. No way would he go down without a fight.” Changbin tried to convince not only Felix but himself. It had to be true.

“We’re going to find him, right?”

“Of course, we are. But one minute at a time, okay, Lix? Go to sleep. We’ll look for him in the morning.” Felix nodded and let his eyes close once again. 

All night, Changbin tried to ignore the uncertainty of whether he should be resting or looking for Seungmin already. What if Seungmin’s in trouble and Changbin could’ve had the chance to help him but instead, he’s cuddled up with Felix in a motor home, as safe as they could be? No matter what he told himself, he couldn’t get that thought out of his head. 

He slept in increments, waking up every couple of minutes and Felix stayed unmoving. His breath was warm on Changbin’s neck and his arm that he wrapped under Changbin’s back must not be getting good blood circulation. Changbin switched from playing with his hair to rubbing a soothing hand over the younger’s back. He doesn’t know how he would’ve been if Felix wasn’t with him. If him and Seungmin got separated and Changbin was alone, he didn’t think he would be doing well mentally or emotionally, he didn’t even want to think about physically. But being with Felix gave him a sort of push to fight and protect. He did better in a group, something Changbin didn’t really think was true before this all happened.


	8. Woojin/Chan/Jisung/Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are you annoyed by the updates yet???????? it's 2 am biiihhhhhhhhh

“What did you tell them?” Woojin asked him as Chan walked up to him.

“Just thanked them, you know. Minho doesn’t _have_ to help us but he’s choosing to risk his life to do so. You should thank him, too.” Woojin just shrugged and leaned against the door to the stairs. Chan sighed and stood in front of him facing the other end of the hallway, waiting for Minho. A few seconds later, Minho came out slowly shutting the door. Chan could tell something was on his mind, but he wasn’t going to ask.

“Well, let’s get this shit going so I can go back to my boyfriend as quickly as possible.” Minho motioned towards the door. Chan made eye contact with Woojin and Woojin seemed to hesitate.

“Thanks…” That was all he said before he opened the door. Minho looked at Chan with a questioning look on his face. Chan just shrugged and followed Woojin with Minho going in next to him. Luckily, there wasn’t any banging downstairs anymore, the zombies finally given up on trying to get in. The three boys jogged up the stairs until they got to the top floor, the 5th floor. Woojin stood next to the door and put his ear to it.

“I don’t hear anything. But we can’t be too sure. I’ll go out first.” Chan nodded and Minho moved to stand next to Chan, so he wasn’t stuck in the back.

“Be careful.” Minho offered. Woojin didn’t say anything but didn’t look annoyed either so Minho let it go. He slowly opened the door. From inside the stairwell, the door was a push door and didn’t have a proper handle. So, no matter what, it was going to make noise. They all flinched as the first creak of metal ruined the silence. Still nothing moved on the other side, so he kept pushing until he was able to peek through the small gap. The hall was empty. Soon, the door was opened all the way and they all cautiously walked down the hall, weapons high and ready to swing.

“Which room is it?”

“506.” Woojin stopped in front of the room. They all stopped too and waited for any other sound.

“Okay. So, what’s the plan?” Woojin asked. Minho shrugged.

“Open the door and hope for the best.” Woojin sighed and put a hand on the knob but froze when he heard shuffling from a different room.

“Tell me that was one of you two.” Woojin said but they both denied it. They looked to their right where the noise came from until something banged on the door of room 508 directly next to 506. They all flinched back.

“I’m not staying in a room next to that.”

“I told you I’d only help you get into this one.” A few seconds later something banged on the door of room 506. Chan grabbed Woojin’s arm and pulled him back.

“Let’s just go back to the fourth floor. We can fix one of the doors of the other rooms.” Chan begged Woojin. Before anybody could agree or disagree, one of the doors at the end of the hallway broke open and 2 zombies stumbled on top of each other before their dead eyes landed on the other 3.

“Run!” Minho yelled.

“There’s just 2 of them, we can take them.” Woojin appeared to be ready to fight but Minho grabbed his arm and pulled him.

“I knew that family. They had 3 kids.” Just then the 3 kids, two teenagers and one preteen stumbled out of the room too.

“COME ON!” Minho yelled once more, not waiting to see if they’d follow him as he ran to the other set of stairs on the opposite side of the hallway than they came from. Minho opened the door and ran in. He waited a moment to see if the two followed him and once he saw them both, he began going down the stairs. As he went down the first flight, he looked up to see Woojin halfway down and Chan trying to pull the door closed faster.

“Chan! It won’t close on time. Let’s go!” Chan realized this too and soon they were all clambering down the stairs and into the fourth floor, making sure to not open the door too wide though they quickly realized it didn’t matter. The door didn’t require a handle from the stairway. Just required one to push it open and the zombies could figure that out soon. So, Minho turned and yelled for Jisung.

“JISUNG-AH!” Jisung threw the door open and Minho ran in followed by the other two.

“Close it! Lock it! Hurry!” Chan told them as Minho slammed the door and put both of the locks on. He pointed to the dining table.

“Barricade the door!” Woojin and Chan grabbed the dining table, turned it upside down, and shoved it against the door. Minho grabbed two of the heavy gas tanks and placed them on top of it hoping it would weigh it down even more. Then and only then did they calm down enough for Jisung to ask what the hell happened.

“What was that? Did they get on our floor?” Jisung looked at Minho.

“They can. They got into the stairwell.”

“Shit, shit.” Jisung ran a hand through his hair. “What do we do then?”

“If they make it in, we can’t make too much noise.”

“This is your fault.” Woojin mumbled.

“Excuse me? Speak the fuck up.” Minho walked up to Woojin not caring that Woojin was slightly taller than him and could probably knock him out with one punch.

“If you just let us stay here, none of this would’ve happened!”

“In case you didn’t get it before, this is my apartment. A place I shared with Jisung before this all happened. You could’ve had any other room on this floor, but you insisted on going to the 5th floor. This is on you!” Minho shoved a finger on his chest just to get shoved backwards hard enough to fall over. Minho quickly got up and was about to attack when Chan and Jisung got in the middle.

“Stop! STOP! This won’t solve anything!” Chan yelled.  
“Come at me again, you motherfucker!”  
“Let’s see what you got then, asshole!”

“Wait, EVERYONE SHUT UP!” Jisung yelled at the top of his lungs. Everyone shut up but Woojin and Minho continued glaring at each other until they heard the growls and snarls outside of their door.

“They’re in the hallway.” Jisung whispered in fear. Minho shoved Chan’s arms away from him and wrapped his own around Jisung, swinging them around gently so Jisung was behind him. Nothing banged on their door yet, so they haven’t realized where the noise was coming from earlier.

“We can’t stay here.” Minho’s heart dropped at that reality. They were good here. They had food, they had enough gas to last them a long time, they had water, they had a shower and a toilet, they had entertainment, but now, it was unsafe. Minho was too sad to get mad at Woojin again.

“Grab as many things as you can. Quietly.” Minho grabbed the bag that held all the movies and began taking them out and softly setting them down on the floor. It took a while for the other 3 to start, too. Once the bag was empty, Minho began packing all the water bottles that could fit in there, taking half empty bottles and filling them up all the way and replacing the cap before sticking them in the bag. In the kitchen, Jisung was shoving as many food cans as he could, not forgetting to pack spoons, forks, and knives just in case. Woojin was helping with packing the food and Chan took it upon himself to pack their clothes in a large duffle bag. In the bedroom, Chan noticed a hanging picture on the wall. It was of Jisung and Minho, each holding one cat and a third cat sat on Minho’s lap. They were smiling at the camera that Jisung must’ve been holding. A selfie. Chan took the frame down and took the picture out and safely put it at the bottom of the duffle bag. He packed a few pairs of socks and decided that would have to do. He brought the duffle bag into the living room and folded two of the blankets and shoved it in the bag. Nothing else could fit in there anymore so he struggled to close it. 

Once everything that could fit in the bags were packed, they waited for further instructions.

“Minho? What now?” Jisung asked him softly.

“If the door gets compromised, we take our luck with the fire escape.” The problem with the fire escape is there’s only one way up and down. If they find themselves trapped, some hard decisions would have to be made. But for now, Minho sat cross legged in front of the door, a hammer in his tight grip. Chan took the duffel bag and brought it towards the living room window where the fire escape was. Woojin took both of the food bags and did the same as Chan grabbed the water bottle bag and went back to drop it off. 

Jisung took that time to sit down next to Minho.

“You think we’ll have to leave?”

“They’re stuck in here with us, now. Maybe we can take them but in case we can’t, we’ll make a run for it.” Jisung nodded. By the window, Chan and Woojin sat at the end of the couch bed, watching as the other two spoke softly to each other.

“If I just pulled at the door a little harder or kept going, maybe they wouldn’t have gotten on this floor.” Chan said loud enough for only Woojin to hear.

“You never would’ve made it. They were too close.”

“Then maybe I could’ve been the bait, bought you guys some time to close the door.”

“I didn’t risk my life to save you the first time just to let you turn yourself into bait.” Woojin retorted. Chan sighed and dropped his head in between his shoulders.

“This fucking sucks. I just want to go home. And sleep. Never wake up again.” Chan let the tears fall silently. He didn’t let the hand that Woojin put on his back comfort him. This is how the world is now and he will never be safe anywhere.


	9. Jeongin/Hyunjin/Seungmin/Changbin/Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guyssss i'm adulting and got myself a job interview tomorrow sndfnoamfona

Hyunjin was uncomfortable as he tried to go to sleep. He was stuck on the couch and he’s tried several different positions. He usually slept on his side but he couldn't now because then his feet would start hurting. So, he tried laying on his stomach with his legs bent up but then they started getting tired. So, then he laid on his back with his feet dangling off the side of the arm rests. He hated sleeping on his back because he liked to cuddle, and it was uncomfortable cuddling the blanket over his chest.

He grumbled to himself and went to try his luck on his stomach again.

“For fuck’s sake, can you stay still?” Seungmin complained from his position on an arm chair. Hyunjin looked over and saw that his eyes were closed and if Hyunjin hadn’t heard him speak, he’d think he was asleep. 

“I can’t get comfortable.” He whined.

“You’re the only one who’s laying down on cushions. Jeongin is sleeping on the floor and I’m sitting up. Quit complaining.”

“I can’t sleep without holding something, though.” No one said anything for a moment and Hyunjin continued readjusting himself, hissing every time his feet touched something. He tried to move slowly and to not make as much noise, but he couldn’t help it. Jeongin sat up from the floor, his eyes half opened and his hair sticking up in a few places.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“No,” Hyunjin pouted.

“What’s wrong?”

“He won’t stop fucking moving.” Seungmin said, still sitting with his eyes closed.

“My feet hurt, and I can’t sleep without holding something.”

“Come lay down with me. You can hold me.” Jeongin patted the spot next to him on the rug. “Bring the pillows, too. To rest your feet on them.” Hyunjin decided to try it, maybe it would help him. So, with red cheeks, he slid off the couch and crawled until he could lay down. Jeongin grabbed the pillow and put them under Hyunjin’s ankles.

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Jeongin nodded and laid down.

“I don’t usually like cuddling but you can hold me if you want.” Jeongin turned his back to Hyunjin and after a few seconds, Hyunjin wrapped an arm around him. He shuffled closer, letting his nose rest in his hair and his other arm went under Jeongin’s head.

“Good?”

“Mm. Much better. Thank you. Are you comfortable, though?”

“Yeah. Go to sleep, hyung.” Hyunjin took his word for it and closed his eyes and entered into a deep sleep just a few minutes later.

 

Jeongin was the first to wake up in the morning. At least he thought it was morning. The sun was up and shining through the gaps in the blinds. Jeongin was facing the garage door so the light wasn’t what woke him up. He gently grabbed Hyunjin’s arm that was still around him and lifted it up enough for him to slide out. Jeongin’s bones cracked and ached as he slowly stood up. He tilted his head from side to side to try to get rid of all the kinks as he turned around to face the back door. But something caught his attention. The chair that Seungmin was on was now empty. 

Jeongin furrowed his eyebrows and looked over to the kitchen. He wasn’t there. Jeongin turned to walk to the front of the house and the door was closed but unlocked, leading Jeongin to believe that Seungmin really did leave first thing in the morning. Without thinking much of it, Jeongin opened the front door and peeked outside. It was quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. He hasn’t heard a single bird or even a cicada at any time of the day for the longest time. Jeongin took a step out into the porch but didn’t go down the two steps yet as he looked around. Seungmin wasn’t anywhere in sight. Jeongin knew he had to walk further out to see if he was down the street still. He looked back at the door and really thought about it. It would only take a few seconds. He won’t go far, and he’ll be back before Hyunjin even wakes up. He’s decided. He closed the front door and took a deep breath before walking down the two steps for the first time since he made camp in the house.

As he made it onto the sidewalk, Jeongin looked to his right and found nothing, not even a zombie. To his left he thought he saw nothing until someone ran across the street while crouching down. It was Seungmin. Jeongin knew it. So, he ran towards him. Seungmin hadn’t noticed him yet as he continued walking while crouching and occasionally hiding behind parked cars. As Jeongin got closer, he decided to call out for him.

“Seungmin- hyung!” He called out loud enough for him to hear. Seungmin flinched and turned around in shock.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” He whisper-yelled. They were hiding behind two different cars so Jeongin quickly ran over to him.

“Why did you leave like that?”

“I told you. I need to find my friends and I would leave when morning came. It is morning.” He put his hand up, gesturing towards the sun.

“But…you didn’t even say bye.”

“It’s not that deep, kid. We don’t know each other. If you wanted me to thank you for letting me stay, then thank you. But you need to go back. Hyunjin is a sitting potato without you.”

“Yeah. He is. Seungmin-hyung, I’m not good at this. I don’t want to be responsible for someone else like this. Please don’t go.”

“Jeongin-ah, I told you. I need to find my friends.”

“We’ll help you then! I’ll help you. And we can bring them back to the house.” Seungmin looked like he was actually debating it.

“Please. There’s strength in numbers. We can protect each other.” Jeongin pleaded further. Seungmin sighed and leaned his back against the car.

“Fine. Truthfully, I’ve been telling Changbin-hyung in order to survive, we need more people. He kept telling me ‘no.’ That we can’t trust anyone and then I woke up one morning and he tells me Felix came in the middle of the night and he would be joining us. What a hypocrite.” Jeongin gave a small laugh.

“Well, when we find him, you can tell him you found two new people and he has no choice but to accept us.”

“Will do. Should we go tell Hyunjin first so he doesn’t freak out if you’re not back soon?”

“Yeah, probably should, right?”

“Yeah. Let’s go. I’m right behind you.” Seungmin pointed back towards the house. Jeongin nodded and faced the other way and began going back. Every now and then, Jeongin would turn around to make sure that Seungmin was still following him. He was. Jeongin felt a sense of relief that he hasn’t felt in a while.

They were a few houses down from their destination when they decided to cross the street.

“Look everywhere. Make sure nothing or no one is around.” Seungmin told him. Jeongin looked to their left while Seungmin looked to their right.

“Clear.” The younger said.

“Clear. Let’s go. Quick.” They both dashed across the street and continued running towards the house when they heard the growls and snarls.

“Stop, stop.” Seungmin grabbed Jeongin’s arm.

“We’re almost there, though.”

“Yeah but it’s coming from over there. Where are they?” They both looked around before their eyes landed on one zombie pounding its bloody fists against a motor home parked on the side of the road on the opposite side.

“There, there!” Seungmin whisper-yelled and pointed in that direction. They both quickly hid behind one of the cars. 

“It’s right in front of the house.” Seungmin mentioned.

“Should we make a run for it?” Jeongin said.

“Did you lock the garage door?” The garage door was closer to them, but the front door would require them to go around to the front, leaving the space between them and the zombie just a bit shorter.

“Yeah, I locked it. We got lucky with you but who knows if someone else would’ve gotten through there?”

“Smart choice. Bad timing.” Jeongin sighed, silently agreeing.

“We’re going to have to make a run for it. As quietly as possible though.”

“Yeah. Are you ready?” 

“Yeah, on a count of three.”

“One. Two…Three.” Quietly, they ran crouched down, never taking their eyes off of that zombie. It wasn’t until the back window of the motor home opened and two feet stuck out.

“There’s people.” Jeongin slowed down as he watched them climb out all while the zombie stayed slamming on the door on the other side. As the guy climbed out completely, Seungmin stood up straighter.

“Changbin-hyung?!” The guy whirled around, and a shocked look appeared on his face as his eyes set upon Seungmin.

“Seungmin-ah!” He began grinning when the zombie ran around the corner of the motorhome and ran towards Changbin.

“Hyung, run!” 

“Get Felix!” Changbin quickly pointed to the window and Felix’s head popped out, yelling for Changbin as the latter ran to buy them some time.

“Get Felix! I’ll help Changbin! Quickly, let’s go!” Seungmin pushed Jeongin towards the motorhome as Seungmin ran down the street following Changbin.

“Hey, you ugly piece of shit!” Seungmin tried distracting the zombie and he wasn’t sure if he was happy or not that it worked. The zombie stopped and started running towards him.

“Seungmin-ah!”

Back at the motor home, Jeongin put out his arms for Felix as his feet dangled out the window.

“I got you.” Jeongin grabbed Felix’s waist and helped him get down gently. Once his feet were on the ground, Felix turned around.

“Thank you. But we have to help Changbin.” Felix started moving towards where they ran off to, waiting to see if Jeongin followed or not. Jeongin hesitated, looked somewhere behind him before nodding.

“Quickly. We need to get back to this house, okay?” Jeongin pointed to it and Felix nodded.

“Okay, come on.” Felix turned to run just to see Seungmin running towards them, followed by the zombie, and then followed by Changbin.

“Wha—” Seungmin pointed to the house.

“Go in!” Jeongin hesitated once more.

“Felix, go!” Changbin yelled, grabbing the zombie’s attention again.

“Hyung!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Changbin whispered under his breath and stopped running, waiting for the zombie to get closer. He’s gonna take his chances. He was tired of this.

“Changbin-hyung, what are you doing?! Run!” Seungmin turned around when the other two told him to look.

“Come on!” Changbin yelled at the zombie before lifting the knife he was still holding and letting the zombie run its head straight into it. Changbin cringed as blood splattered all over his face and clothes. As the zombie fell back, Changbin let it go with the knife, too busy feeling the vile rise up his throat and leave through his mouth and onto the ground.

“Hyung! Are you okay?” Seungmin asked him as he finally reached him.

“Oh my god, that was so gross.” Changbin spat a few more times, trying to get the taste out of his mouth while simultaneously wiping his face with a clean part of his button up shirt that he took off, leaving him with the t-shirt underneath.

“Come on, there’s a house we can stay in. We gotta go quick before more come.” Seungmin put a hand over Changbin’s back and gently pushed him forward. They both began jogging towards the other two. When the older made eye contact with Felix, he felt a strange set of emotions run through him.

“Hyung…” Changbin jogged straight up to Felix and hugged him.

“We’re out of there. We found Seungmin. He said there’s a house we can go to.” Felix nodded.

“Y-yeah, he said it was that white one.” 

“Come on, then. Let’s go. Are you okay?” Changbin held Felix at arm’s length, looking at him up and down.

“I’m fine. Are you?” Changbin sighed.

“I could’ve gone my whole life not doing that but I’m okay.” Felix chuckled.

“You were really brave, hyung.” Changbin began smiling shyly before the moment was ruined by Seungmin.

“If you’re done flirting, we need to go!” Changbin sighed.

“I’m actually going to strangle him this time.”

“Sure, you are, hyung.” They held hands as they ran towards the house that the other two were standing in front of. They all filed into the house with Jeongin closing and locking the door behind them. 

“J-Jeongin-ah?” Another voice spoke weakly somewhere in the house.

“Oh, shit.” Jeongin pushed his way through the other 3 and ran into the living room.

“Oh, right. Guys, there’s another person. His name is Hyunjin but his feet are messed up right now so he can’t really walk. Jeongin… well, we left him here to look for you two. He was still asleep, so he didn’t know.”

“Oh, no. He must’ve been so scared and confused.” Felix knew what it felt like to be left by the people you were sticking with. At least he found a new group and that they all came back to Hyunjin. As they walked into the living room, Jeongin was sitting on the floor holding a crying boy with bandages wrapped around his feet.

“Hyung, look. We found the other two.” Hyunjin sniffled and wiped his eyes before looking up at the other 3.

“Oh!” He said softly before sitting up straighter and wiping his eyes more.

“H-hi.” He tried bowing a little, embarrassed that this is how he was meeting the other for the first time.

“Hi, Hyunjin-ssi. I’m Felix.” He let go of Changbin’s hand to kneel down in front of Hyunjin and offer his own hand to shake.

“Hi, Felix-ssi. Where are you from?”

“Australia. Was it my accent that gave it away?”

“No, I barely noticed that. It was just your name.”

“Ah. I have a Korean name if that’s easier to pronounce.”

“Really? What is it?” Hyunjin tilted his head.

“It’s...Yongbok.” He said softly. Hyunjin giggled and Jeongin giggled along with him. Felix blushed and sat down, keeping his gaze down at his feet.

“Ah, cute! Why do you look so embarrassed?” Hyunjin asked him.

“’Cause it’s embarrassing.”

“Ya, Yongbok-ah.” Seungmin tried it out. Felix looked up and glared at Seungmin who laughed, making Jeongin and Hyunjin laugh along. Felix didn’t miss the expressionless look on Changbin’s face. 

“Oh, um…Hyunjin-ssi, this is Changbin-hyung.”

“Ah, Changbin-ssi.” Hyunjin nodded a little. Changbin decided to return it but truly, he felt jealous. He couldn’t really figure out why.

“Well, now that we’re all finally united, who’s up for some Uno?” Jeongin suggested, earning a groan from Hyunjin.

“Let it go!”

“I will win this time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> truly honestly, did you think i wasn't going to update tonight??????? it's 2 am again


	10. Jisung/Minho/Woojin/Chan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEXY TIMES. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. NOT FULL ON SEXY BUT ENOUGH IS THERE.

The zombies have been going up and down the corridor, making tiny noises and scratching at the walls but they haven’t figured it out yet, where they were. Some of them have made it into the rooms with no locks, proven by the scratching on the other side of the walls.

“We can’t stay here.” Woojin repeated for what must have been the 4th time in 2 hours.

“You think I don’t know that, Captain Obvious?” Minho responded.

“Then what the hell are we going to do about it? You’ve been sitting there cuddling your boyfriend for the last two hours. I refuse to rot in here.” Minho gently pushed Jisung off of him and stood up.

“Then leave. No one’s stopping you.”

“What about you guys, then?” Chan asked him.

“Excuse me for hesitating to leave my only home.” Minho lent his hand for Jisung to use to stand up. “Do yourselves a favor and play a movie. Heard this one’s good.” Minho grabbed a random movie off of the floor where he left them and threw it at Chan who caught it.

“Why would we watch it?”

“You’re welcome to hear us. Would you like to watch, too?” Minho said, leading Jisung into the bedroom. Jisung at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed but he wasn’t going to stop him. He wanted it too. Chan and Woojin finally caught on, however.

“Oh, come on. That’s fucking gross. We’re right here.” Woojin complained.

“Like I’ve said before and I’ll continue saying it if you don’t shut up; this is my fucking house and I’ll do whatever the fuck I want. We can leave after.” Woojin scoffed as the both of them disappeared into the room, the lock being twisted, and extra pillows being shoved under the door a few seconds later.

“Can you believe them?”

“I can. After this, we’re going to be running for our lives nonstop. Who knows when they’ll have a room with a bed or a chance to…do that?” Chan shifted in his seat. Woojin sighed and stood up, yanking the movie out of Chan’s hands and looking at the cover.

“Fucking Lion King, really?”

“Hey, Lion King is the best!” 

“Whatever you say.” Woojin walked over to the TV and set up the movie, making sure the TV was quiet enough to not attract the zombies but loud enough to block out any potential sounds coming from the bedroom.

 

Minho brought Jisung into his arms and hugged him tight. Jisung held him back just as strongly. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Jisung leaned his head back to look at him.

“None of this should’ve happened. We had everything here to last us God knows how long and now…” Minho gulped, trying to hold it together. Jisung cupped his face in his hands and rubbed his cheeks with his thumbs.

“I just want to protect you. I never want you in harm’s way and now, I’m terrified that I won’t be able to do that out there.” They rested their foreheads together, just breathing each other in.

“It’s not your fault, love. Things happen for a reason.”

“Maybe that reason is for us to die out there.” Jisung moved away and hit him in his shoulder.

“Don’t say shit like that.”

“I’m sor—”

“We’re not going to die. I refuse to let you. If something happens…we go together.”

“No. No, Jisungie, don’t.”

“I know you don’t expect me to live in this zombie infested world without you. Right?” Minho shook his head.

“Minho?” He just kept shaking his head. “Minho, look at me.” Instead, a sob broke through his lips and he hugged Jisung to him once more. Jisung’s heart ripped in two, never before has he seen Minho cry this hard. A few tears of his own escaped his eyes and he ran his hand through his hair.

“Baby, listen. I won’t try to tell you that we’re going to make it till the end ‘cause I don’t know. But wherever you go, I go. And if that means following you to the afterlife, then so be it. Okay? But you have to promise me something.” Minho just sniffed and breathed out heavily in response.

“If I turn into one of them, kill me.” Minho whined and went to protest.

“Once we turn into one of those, we’re not alive anymore. I don’t want to hurt people. I don’t want to hurt you. You have to promise me you won’t let me be one of those things.”

“Fuck,” Minho put his hands over his face and scratched at it lightly. “This is so fucked.”

“I know.” Jisung rubbed his hand up and down Minho’s arm. “But please promise me.” Minho took a moment to grab onto both of his hands, once again leaning forward to press their foreheads together.

“I love you. And I promise you. Promise me the same.”

“I love you more. And I promise you, too.” Minho let out another small sob before tilting his head and leaning forward, joining their lips. He lifted Jisung’s hands to put them on his shoulders.

“One last time. On our bed. In our home.” Jisung nodded and with another peck, he turned around and crawled onto the bed. Minho waited until he was comfortable on his back before doing the same, putting his knees under Jisung’s legs and letting them wrap around his waist. Jisung sighed in content at the familiar feeling boiling in his abdomen as his boyfriend leaned forward, rubbing their lower halves together. He put his hands under Minho’s shirt as the older kissed him again.

3 years of being with Minho gave Jisung an insight on what the older likes. They’ve tried nearly every kink under the sun, but he knew that the smallest things are what really gets him going. He ran his nails up and down Minho’s torso, making sure he passed his nipples a few times. Every time he did so, Minho flinched and breathed a bit heavier in his mouth.

“Take it off already.” Jisung whispered into his lips. Minho smirked and did just that.

“What about you, sunshine?” Minho lifted the bottom of Jisung’s shirt.

“Why don’t you help me?” Jisung bit his lip with a smile. He lifted his arms up, making it easier for Minho take it off of him. As soon as they were shirtless, Minho laid on top of Jisung, not leaving any space between them. Minho brought his face close to Jisung but far enough to watch his face contort in pleasure as he grinded down on him.

“You’re already that happy to see me?” Minho teased him.

“I will leave this room.”

“Nah, you want me too much.” Minho smirked just to get surprised at Jisung’s strength when he shoved him to the side.

“Are you sure about that? I can get myself off just fine.” Jisung said though he grinded his ass down on Minho’s crotch. Minho groaned and gripped Jisung’s hips.

“Get yourself off on me, then.” Jisung giggled as the older tried to move his hips more on him.

“I’d rather you help me.” He unbuttoned Minho’s jeans and slid the zipper down, making sure to press down on his dick as he did so. Minho let out another low moan.

“We can’t be too loud.” Minho reminded Jisung though he was the one making the noise.

“Yeah, wouldn’t want the zombies to hear us.”

“Wouldn’t want the others to get too turned on either.” Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Still making jokes?”

“If you can’t love me for all of me, then—” Jisung shut him up by pressing their lips together.

“Talk less, touch me more.”

 

“This is ridiculous.” Woojin said as he heard the bed creak for the millionth time.

“At least they’re not too loud.”

“I can never watch this movie again ‘cause all I’ll think of is them having sex. Why the hell would they have sex at a time like this?”

“You’re just mad ‘cause you’re not getting it.” Woojin glared at the side of his face.

“Are you a virgin?” Chan’s head whipped around to face him.

“What?!”

“Shh!” Woojin put a hand over his mouth and looked over at the front door. They waited a few seconds, the creaking even stopped for a moment until they knew the zombies haven’t figured it out yet.

“Why the hell would you ask me that?”

“It was just a question.” Chan scoffed and returned his focus to the TV.

“Well? Are you?”

“Are you?” Chan tried firing back.

“No. My ex-girlfriend didn’t like to do much though.”

“Okay, I didn’t ask for that detail.” Woojin chuckled and also turned his attention to the TV.

“I’ve had sex before. But I didn’t like it.” Chan admitted softly.

“What do you mean? Like it’s not your thing or…?”

“I don’t think they did it right.” Chan shrugged. Woojin’s eyes widened slightly.

“Were you raped?”

“No, no. It’s not like that, I just…it hurt.” 

“It always hurts initially but it should’ve gotten better.” Chan just shook his head.

“That wasn’t good sex then. It’s not supposed to hurt the whole time like that.”

“Can we stop talking about that now?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” They mindlessly continued watching the movie for a few more minutes.

“Where do you think we should go from here?” Chan said softly.

“I think our best bet is towards the neighborhoods. We can clear out a house with our own damn beds. Barricade it. Maybe there’s a market nearby that we can loot.”

“Yeah,” Chan agreed. “Um…if we do find a house with enough rooms…c-can you stay with me?” Woojin lifted his eyebrows.

“N-not like that. Maybe we can drag two mattresses in there and have our own but…I don’t want to be alone.” 

“Why were you alone when you got to that diner?”

“I…I would find someone and they either got bitten or we got separated. I think this is the longest I’ve been with people.” Woojin nodded.

“And you?”

“I would rather be alone. Less people to worry about.”

“You’ve never heard of strength in numbers?”

“I’ve heard that caring for others can make you weak. If that door broke down right now and I was alone, I could leave in a second. But now I have to worry about those two in there without any clothes on and you.”

“You care about us? About me?” Woojin’s motions stuttered.

“Don’t flatter yourself. It’s-It’s a humanity thing. Can’t leave knowing that I left 3 other people for dead.” Woojin tried to dig himself out of the hole.

“Yeah, right. You care about us.” Chan smirked.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wbfgnenfweo my interview is in an hour nsdjgndlbkgmb


	11. Changbin/Felix/Jeongin/Hyunjin/Seungmin

“This tastes like butt.” Seungmin said as he stuck his spoon back in the can of beans and pushed it away from him.

“Well, it’s the only thing we had left that wasn’t expired.” Jeongin pouted but took the can and ate his spoonful before passing it to Hyunjin.

“I’ll pass today.” He cringed and passed it over to Felix.

“I’m pretty sure it’s expired.” Seungmin said.

“It smells expired.” Felix pointed out as he sniffed it first. He took a small bite and slowly chewed it. “Or maybe I just don’t like beans.” He passed the can over to Changbin who ate his spoonful and passed it over quickly.

“I’m only eating this to survive.” Seungmin said, eating his second spoonful.

“We should get more food.” Hyunjin said, glaring at the can of beans that was now closer to him. “Nonexpired, edible food.”

“Oh sure. Let’s just take a short trip to the market.” Changbin said sarcastically. Hyunjin frowned.

“It was just a suggestion.”

“We know, Hyunjin. But we have to have a plan, know the backroads and all, have backup plans. It’s not a simple trip anymore.” Felix mentioned, putting a hand on his shoulder. Hyunjin frowned even more when the reality came that if he wanted his stomach to stop growling, he needed to eat the beans.

“The nearest market is 2 blocks over. This was my grandparents’ house, but I would always walk with my grandpa to the store.” Jeongin pointed out.

“Are there any backroads?” Jeongin nodded.

“Then it’s settled. We’re eating good tonight, boys.” Everyone looked over at Seungmin. “I-I’ve always wanted to say that.”

“Who’s going, though?” Jeongin asked.

“Who’s the fastest?” Hyunjin asked.

“I’m pretty fast.” Changbin raised his hand. 

“Okay. I think the less people the better. A quick in and out.” Hyunjin pointed out.

“Yeah. So, Jeongin and Changbin goes.” Seungmin cleared up. Hyunjin grabbed Jeongin’s hand tightly.

“Will you be okay with that?” Jeongin took a deep breath and took a while to answer before he nodded.

“Y-yeah. It’ll be quick. We’ll grab as many cans as possible and be back within the hour.” Everyone knew that Jeongin was trying to convince himself more than anyone else, but they had to eat. 

“This would be much easier if we had a car.”

“We’ll attract more zombies or even people. They’ll want our gas.” Felix mentioned. 

“Mm. Guess we’re running.” Changbin said.

“Does that mean I don’t have to finish this?” Seungmin moved the stiff beans around in the can in disgust.

“I guess so. We should go before it gets dark, though.” Changbin stood up just to be stopped and pulled back down by Felix grabbing his hand.

“Wait, hyung,” He said softly. Changbin was confused.

“What is it, Felix?” He said softly to him. Felix didn’t say anything, but he also didn’t let go of his hand.

“Um, Jeongin, can I make a mini grocery list for you two?” Hyunjin spoke to try and somehow give the other two some kind of privacy. Changbin noticed and pulled at Felix’s hand to get him to stand up so they can walk to the front of the house for some privacy.

“What is it, Felix?” Changbin repeated himself once they got to the door.

“N-nothing, it’s just…you will come back right?”

“Yeah.” Changbin put a hand on Felix’s shoulder, trying to reassure him. “Where is this coming from, Felix?”

“I don’t want to lose any more people. I got separated from my first group. From my best friend. He was the reason I even came to Korea and now I don’t even know if he’s alive. I just met you guys and you saved my life. You put a stupid Scooby-Doo band aid on my forehead.” Felix brought his hand up to touch it. Changbin smiled and put his hand over Felix’s to touch it as well.

“How’s that feeling, by the way?”

“I’ve barely noticed it, to be honest.” Felix’s smile was watery. 

“Good.” Changbin dropped his hand back down to his shoulder. “I promise I’ll come back. Like Hyunjin said, in and out.”

“If you see a zombie, you run okay?”

“I know, I will. We’ll be quick.” Felix closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding.

“Okay. Um, if you see Choco cereal, get me some, please?” Changbin smiled and patted his shoulder once.

“Will do, Yongbok-ah.” Felix pretended to look annoyed at the name. 

“Yah, Changbin-ah.” Felix dropped the honorifics which just made Changbin laugh.

“Yah, have you lost your mind?”

“It’s the end of the world. Honorifics don’t count anymore!” Felix laughed and ran back into the living room with Changbin following him.

“Hyunjin, protect me.” Felix jumped on the couch and hid behind the taller boy. Hyunjin in turn brought both of his arms up and blocked Felix.

“You shall not pass!” He said in his best English accent.

“What are you going to do with your injured feet?” Changbin meant it as a joke but he quickly realized it was a sensitive topic for Hyunjin.

“They’re getting better! Soon, I’ll be joining you guys on food and water runs, you’ll see!” Hyunjin looked frustrated that he hasn’t been able to help and had to watch his friends risk their lives while he stayed on the couch, waiting for them to come back. The fun stopped when Hyunjin’s eyes began watering.

“We know, hyung. We know.” Jeongin rubbed at his knees.

“Sorry…Hyunjin-ah. I won’t mention it again.” Changbin said. Hyunjin just sat back on the couch.

“I’d appreciate that.”

 

Soon, Jeongin was hugging the other three after they gathered two big backpacks to fill up.

“We’ll be back before sundown.”

“And what if you’re not?” Seungmin asked.

“We will be back.” Changbin insisted. He nodded and hugged Changbin.

“We’ll be waiting for you.” Changbin patted him on the back before they let go. Changbin gave him a small smile before they separated. He gave an awkward hug to Hyunjin and then he had an armful of Felix. The younger buried his face deep in Changbin’s neck.

“Don’t forget the Choco cereal.”

“I won’t. It’ll be the first thing I look for.”

“Good.” Felix sniffed before he pulled away. Changbin pushed Felix’s hair away from his eyes and gave him a gently smile.

“Jeongin-ah, are you ready?”

“Yes, let’s go.” Jeongin put on his backpack and grabbed his hammer. Changbin did the same and grabbed a wrench and a metal baseball bat that he found in the garage.

“Be careful out there, guys.” Seungmin and Felix saw them out. 

“Sundown, okay?” Changbin reminded.

“Sundown.” 

“Let’s go.” Jeongin led Changbin down the street and soon they were taking their first turn.

“It’s clear so far. Where is everyone?” Changbin asked, looking around as they jogged.

“I would keep watch upstairs. For some reason, the zombies get heavier at night.”

“So, we really gotta be done before sundown.”

“Yeah. The store should be right at that corner. You see the sign?”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let’s go quick.” They ran faster down the sidewalk until they got to the front of the store.

“You think it’ll be open?” Jeongin asked.

“If not, we’ll have to find a way in.” But lucky for them, the automatic doors were still opening on their own.

“Oh…that’s not practical.” Changbin said before looking at their surroundings again. “A walker comes by and the door is wide open for them. Do you know how to shut the door off?” 

“Yeah, there should be like a little lever at the top.” They walked in and took a while to figure out how to stop it from opening automatically but once they did, they turned and walked through the second set of automatic doors.

“Should we close those, too?” Jeongin asked.

“Nah, I think we’ll be fine.” As they walked in, they didn’t know what to expect. But they sure as hell didn’t expect fully stocked aisles. 

“This is the first place I’d think of going. Why is it so stocked?”

“I don’t know but I’m thankful. Do you think we can fill up a cart, too? We could bring it back to the house. If we need to leave, maybe we can put Hyunjin in it.”

“That’s a great idea, kid.” Changbin pinched Jeongin’s cheeks before going back to get a cart. “All right, let’s get to shopping. Not all sugar, though, kid.”

“Whatever. We should put some medicine and stuff like that in the bags. Maybe some water bottles too. And for backup, in case we have to ditch the cart, we should put food in the bags too.” Changbin saw right before his eyes how the youngest matured in just a few seconds.

“Let’s get to it, then.” As they went aisle by aisle, they gathered up nonperishable items and foods that haven’t been expired yet. Changbin even found the Choco cereal for Felix and got all that was left of it. 

“Should we get all the water?” Jeongin pointed towards what was left of the bottled water.

“Grab some bottles and fill up your backpack and then put the rest in the cart.” Jeongin nodded and did just that.

“We should get another cart for the water.”

“All right. I’ll be back.” Changbin jogged up to the front of the store and froze as he saw a walker walk across the door outside. It hasn’t seen Changbin yet, so he hid behind a wall until it passed completely. He let out the breath that he was holding and quickly grabbed another cart and took it back to Jeongin who was just zipping up the backpack and putting it on his back.

“Did something happen?” Jeongin asked him.

“A zombie was outside, but it didn’t see me.”

“Good.” Jeongin sighed in relief. “Help me with the water.” They managed to fit the rest of the water inside the cart.

“Okay, I think that’s all we’ll be able to fit in these. We can come back another day for the rest if we have to.” Jeongin agreed. “You take the food cart. I’ll take the water. When we go back out there, you run to the house and you keep on running. If you have to leave the cart, then leave it. Don’t worry about me. I remember the turns we took.” Jeongin nodded and this is when the nerves starting kicking in. It wasn’t sundown yet, but the sun will be setting soon.

“Okay, hyung.” Jeongin did as he was told and got behind the food cart and followed Changbin to the front door. Changbin looked around thoroughly, making sure that that one zombie wasn’t around before he pulled the lever again and let the door open automatically.

“Okay, quickly. Let’s go.” Changbin walked out first with his cart and let Jeongin get ahead of him.

“I’m right behind you, kid.” Jeongin began jogging out of the shopping center and back onto the road. He kept his eye out and making sure that his hammer was still easy to get from where he left it on top of the box of twinkies. 

A bit behind him, Changbin grunted as he struggled to push a cart that weighed probably 3 times his weight in water bottles. Still he made sure Jeongin was always in his eyesight. As they rounded their second to last turn, a water bottle rolled off of his cart. He quickly looked around and stopped before going back to get it. He threw it back into the cart and when he looked up, Jeongin had already went around the corner. Changbin grunted as he started pushing the cart again, it took a while to get back to the same speed he was going but he seemed to get it when he rounded the corner. He looked back up after focusing on moving his feet faster to see that Jeongin had stopped running and had his arms held up. Changbin looked around him and saw a guy holding a gun and pointing it towards Jeongin.

“Hey!” Changbin yelled and quickly ran and pushed Jeongin behind him.

“You stay right there!” The other guy yelled. They were a small group, all young looking. One of them looked terrified and the other looked concerned while the last one tried to keep a straight face. The one holding the gun was glaring at them both.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Your food.” The guy with the gun responded but the concerned looking one hit him in the shoulder. The guy didn’t even flinch.

“Woojin, stop. They’re just kids.”

“It’s a shit ton of food for just two kids. They can share some.” Jeongin was shaking behind Changbin and although Changbin was shaking too, he gave a death glare back at the guy. Who the fuck does he think he is pointing a gun at a teenager?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i yeeted myself out of that interview so quick omg guess i'll stay broke ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	12. Woojin/Chan/Jisung/Minho

Woojin and Chan had become so engrossed in the film that they didn’t even notice when the creaking and occasionally moaning stopped until the bedroom door opened and Jisung popped his head out.

“Are you ready to go?” He said softly.

“We’ve been ready. Are you done fornicating?” Woojin smirked and Chan couldn’t help but snicker.

“Yes, for now.” Minho walked out from around Jisung and spoke confidently. He really had no shame. He went straight for the bag that was on the floor and put it on.

“All right, boys. No time to waste, let’s go.” Woojin wasted no time in getting up and turning the TV off and grabbing a bag himself, handing Chan a different one as Minho did the same for Jisung.

“Can we walk through the plan?” Chan asked.

“We go down the fire escape, go down to the second floor.”

“Why the second floor?” Woojin asked.

“The nuthead that lived there got guns. One time, Jisung and I were having sex outside and he threatened to shoot us.”

“Okay, nobody asked for that detail.” Woojin cringed.

“And what if there are zombies in there?” Chan cut him off.

“If there are, it’s only him ‘cause he lived alone. We can take him.” Minho made sure his knife was easily accessible and that Jisung’s backpack was properly clicked in the front.

“Is that too heavy?” He asked him softly.

“I can carry it.” Jisung’s back felt like it will break as soon as they walk into the fire escape, but he knows they need all those water bottles. 

“If it gets too much, I ca—”

“I got it, Minho.” Jisung said a bit more forcefully. Minho nodded and then pointed towards the living room window.

“Let’s go, then. I’ll go first.” Minho opened the window and stepped out as the others followed him.

“Don’t make too much noise. When I get to the second floor, you all go over there.” Minho pointed to a random spot off in the distance. “If we attract other walkers, they’ll trap us in the fire escape, so you guys need to get off of it quickly.”

“We just leave you in that room alone, though?” Jisung asked him.

“Fine. Woojin, stay close. I’ll shout if I underestimated things.” Woojin nodded and gripped his pick axe a bit stronger.

“Let’s go, guys.” Minho began going down the steps followed by Jisung, Chan, and Woojin covering the back. When they got to the second floor, Minho peaked in before knocking on the glass. He could tell someone was sitting on the arm chair facing the front door. 

“Okay, I see him. Jisung, Chan, you go over there. Woojin, stay here, okay?” Everyone nodded and as Chan began going down the steps, Jisung hesitated.

“Go, baby. I’ll be right there.” Minho grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“I’m getting tired of you saying that.” Jisung half-joked before squeezing his hand one more time and letting go, leaving to follow Chan after giving his boyfriend one more look. 

“So, what’s the plan? You go in, kill that thing, and get the guns?” Woojin kneeled next to Minho’s crouched body.

“Yeah. I’ll pass them to you and then we’re gone.” Woojin nodded.

“Let’s do this, then.” Minho lifted the window open and waited to see if the thing moved or not. It didn’t so he kept going. Once Minho entered the apartment, he realized something. Any small amount of sound attracted a walker, why did it not attract this one? Minho thought this too late as the man in the chair stood up and pointed a gun at him.

“Shi—” Minho quickly lifted his hands up.

“Ah. It’s you. How unfortunate.”

 

Chan and Jisung ran to the tree line a few dozen feet away from the apartment building before they turned around. Jisung’s heart dropped as he saw Woojin with his back to the wall, hiding from the window.

“Why…Why is he hiding?”

“Maybe Woojin told him to?” They observed him for a few seconds before Woojin looked over to them. He made a gun motion with his hands.

“What is he trying to say?” Jisung asked.

“He found the guns?” Woojin then mouthed ‘alive’ and then the gun motion against his head.

“The son of a bitch is alive. Minho’s in there!” Jisung went to run back but Woojin put his hand out for him to stop and Chan grabbed him.

“Wait! We can’t just go. We can make things worse.”

“In case you haven’t realized, that guy has a gun pointed at my boyfriend!” Jisung tried shoving Chan off of him.

“We gotta trust that they can get out of it.”

“No. No, that guy was homophobic as hell. If he didn’t care about pointing a gun at us before the world ended, he sure as hell will not care now.” Jisung’s eyes began tearing up.

“You have to let me go.” Chan shook his head and didn’t let go of him.

“I’m sorry, Jisung-ah.”

 

Back at the stairs, Woojin racked his brain for a plan. He can’t just dive into the apartment wielding a pick axe. Dude’s got a gun. He also can’t just leave Minho and make a run for it. His boyfriend is watching. He could go up to the third floor, go down to the second and distract the guy by pounding at the door and hope Minho gets the hint to get him while he’s distracted. That’s his best bet. So, as quietly as he could, he went back up the steps and opened the third-floor window. Nothing was out there but he heard rustling in the bedrooms, so he quickly got out of there, closing the door behind him. 

He looked to his right and remembered the walkers that got into the stairwell were probably trapped on the fourth floor, so he took his chances. Quickly, without waiting to see if they were still there, he ran down the steps and got into the second floor. Nothing was in the hallways, so he took that chance to slam his entire body onto the door. He kept going, hearing grunts and yells from inside until he heard the gun go off. Woojin flinched and fell to the floor with his arms protecting his head. It got quiet. Woojin’s ears were ringing slightly but he knew not a single sound was coming from the apartment. He slowly sat up and looked at the door. He blinked as the door unlocked and the knob was being twisted slowly. He let out a big sigh of relief when Minho looked through the tiny gap between the door. Minho, also sighed in relief when he saw it was Woojin and opened the door wider.

“Come on. We gotta go. The sound will attract more walkers.” Minho held a hand out for Woojin to take which he accepted.

“Are you okay?” Woojin noticed blood splattered across the other’s face and clothes.

“Yeah. I always imagined shooting this guy, but I never thought I’d actually get to do it.” Minho pointed to the freshly shot body on the ground, a bullet hole right on the center of his forehead. 

“Do you think he has more guns or ammo?”

“You look over there, I’ll look in the rooms.” They quickly scoured the apartment, grabbing two extra pistols and boxes of ammo and stuffing them into a different bag that they found.

“This should be fine. Come on.” 

“Wait, clean your face off a bit. You’ll freak Jisung out.” Woojin threw a kitchen towel at him and Minho did what he told him to before leaving the towel on the floor. Minho once again climbed through the window first just to be met by extra set of feet. Minho immediately pointed the pistol he was holding at them and flinched as he heard them yell and jump back.

“It’s me! It’s me!” Jisung yelled as he put his hands out.

“What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be over there.” Minho stood up straight and moved to give Woojin space to get out.

“We heard a gunshot. Are you okay? Is that blood?” Jisung felt around his torso to see if he’d find a gun wound.

“It’s not mine. Don’t worry. But we have to go. If you heard it from over there, more walkers will be here soon.” And then they were clambering back down the steps, making it into the tree line by the time walkers gathered around where they were.

“Where do we go from here?” Woojin asked.

“There’s a walking trail that we can follow to the edge of the neighborhood park. We should hurry before the sun sets.” Minho once again led them through the trail with Jisung next to him.

 

Halfway through the trail, Chan turned to ask Woojin something.

“Woojin?”

“Hmm?”

“…that was a good plan you had there. You thought quickly on your feet.” Woojin shrugged.

“We needed those guns.” Chan gave him a knowing look.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s not just the gun you were worried about.”

“Oh, yeah? What was I worried about then?”

“Minho.”

“Pfft, guy’s a dumbass. I just didn’t want Jisung to be crying over him if he got shot.”

“Oh, so you care about Jisung?” Woojin groaned in frustration making Chan laugh. Jisung looked back and smiled before looking forward again. “When are you going to admit it?” Woojin didn’t respond after that and Chan let it go once again.

Soon, they reached the end of the trail and found themselves a few feet away from a park that had a basketball court, a tennis court, and a play area for kids.

“This is the neighborhood park. The houses are over there. If we go left, there’s a market. Maybe we can find a house near it so we can get to the store easily.” Minho pointed in that direction as they stopped near the play area.

“That’s if there’s even food left.” Chan said.

“It’s worth a shot.” 

“Let’s go then. It’s almost sundown.” Woojin took the chance to lead them towards the market. As they neared a turn, Woojin stopped them.

“Do you hear that?” He whispered. They listened closely and heard something like metal being dragged. A cart? Woojin stared at the corner as it got louder and louder. He lifted his gun and waited. He was shocked to see such a young kid pushing a shopping cart full of food down the street. The kid gasped and paused before lifting his arms up.

“Don’t move!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanna say thank you to those who are following my story! I love reading your comments and seeing that you're excited for this story eeeeee i'm really trying my bestest to make this interesting and to have as little plot holes as possible nsdjksgcvmxkcv


	13. Felix/Hyunjin/Seungmin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooof don't hate me fam 
> 
> pls read the end notes :) i got a q for yall

“What are the sleeping arrangements?” Felix asked.

“Oh my god. I forgot about that. I don’t think I can take another night of Hyunjin complaining about his stupid feet.” Seungmin responded.

“It’s not my fault! I can’t force them to heal quicker!”

“When was the last time you cleaned them off by the way?” Felix asked him.

“Yesterday. If you hand me the stuff, I can clean them off myself.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll help you.” Felix stood up and looked around. “Is it this?”

“Yeah.” Hyunjin blushed as Felix sat in front of him and began unrolling the gauze from his feet.

“What happened?” Felix flinched slightly at the sight of the scabby wounds.

“I was running from a zombie. I was even about to give up but Jeongin came out of nowhere and told me to go into the house and then he cleaned me up and here I am. Did you notice the hole in the wall at the front?” Felix paused and looked at him then turned to face Seungmin and then both of them went up to the front hallway to investigate.

“How did you even do that?” Seungmin asked.

“I slipped when I ran into the house.” Felix full on cringed. 

“Ow.” And then both of them came back into the room.

“Well, it doesn’t look infected or anything. So, I think you’ll be fine.” Seungmin told him as he took a peak at his feet. 

“What did Jeongin use to clean it?”

“He used the alcohol and poured it on it. I think for now we can use the cream. I can do it. It’ll be kind of gross.” Truthfully, Hyunjin was embarrassed. He didn’t want Felix to help him because he knows it’s disgusting. And what Felix said confirmed his thoughts.

“Yeah, I think that’ll be best. I’ll wrap them up for you, though.” Hyunjin nodded and grabbed the tube when Felix handed it over. Hyunjin nodded and unscrewed the cap. He got some of the product on his fingers and took a deep breath before attempting to put it over his feet. He hissed every now and then. Just as he was about to switch feet, Seungmin stopped him.

“You missed a few spots.”

“Where?” He looked down and couldn’t tell where he missed.

“The entire edge here.” Seungmin pointed at the area but in order to even see it properly, he’d have to bend his leg awkwardly to see where he would be putting the product. Hyunjin grunted as he accidentally pressed his fingers against the edge of his foot as he tried to force it to bend more into his eyesight. Seungmin sighed and sat closer to him.

“I’ll do it.”

“No, no. I can do it.”

“It’ll be quicker if I just do it. Give me the tube.” Hyunjin hesitated but Seungmin was already gently grabbing his ankle to stretch it back out and lifting it up enough for him to be able to get to the heel and the edge of his wound.

As Seungmin put the cream on, Hyunjin barely hissed at how gentle he was being. He stared at Seungmin as he concentrated, his eyebrows being slightly furrowed but not in disgust. He looked up remembering that Felix was still there and he, too, was looking as Seungmin cleaned him up.

“You look like you’ve done this before.” Seungmin looked over at Felix before switching feet.

“Changbin-hyung used to get in a lot of fights. I would put antiseptic cream on his knuckles and occasionally on his face. Things like this don’t freak me out.” 

“Mm…thank you, Seungmin.” The boy still didn’t look up from his work but nodded in acknowledgement. Soon, Seungmin took it upon himself to also wrap his feet in the gauze.

“Does that feel okay?”

“Yeah. It’s actually already starting to hurt less.” Hyunjin said as he let his heels rest on the floor. It felt uncomfortable but not painful.

“Good. You’ll be up and walking in no time.” Felix smiled at him and Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile back.

“I hope so. It’s not even that I want to walk, I just want to help.” Hyunjin looked at Seungmin for a few seconds before looking back down at his feet. “I know you may think I’m deadweight right now. I totally wouldn’t blame you guys if you left me here if we get ambushed. I’m just thankful I got the extra time.”

“We won’t leave you, Hyunjin. Right, Seungmin?” Seungmin didn’t say anything as he packed up the items that he used back in the kit. Hyunjin felt sad but like he said. He doesn’t blame him.

“Seungmin.” Felix hit him in the shoulder, a bit angry that Seungmin wasn’t reassuring Hyunjin.

“It’s okay. Survival of the fittest, right?” Hyunjin forced a smile. And then they were quiet.

Seungmin stood up and put the kit on the coffee table before he started walking towards the stairs, saying he was going to count how many mattresses they had. 

“Hyunjin, ignore him. You aren’t weak and we wouldn’t leave you. At least I won’t. I know Jeongin won’t either.” 

“I appreciate it, Felix. I really do. But promise me, if the moment comes and I’m holding you back, leave me.” Felix shook his head.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do like that.”

“I know it’s a hard decision but I’m making it for you.” Felix’s eyes began watering and he didn’t know what else to say to convince Hyunjin that he’s worth saving.

“Guys!” From upstairs, Seungmin yelled before he was clambering down the steps with wide eyes.

“Someone’s holding a gun at Jeongin and Changbin.” Everyone’s jaws dropped. “I counted 4 of them.”

“Oh my god. Oh my god! What do we do?” Felix ran his hands through his hair and began pacing back and forth. 

“We can’t just jump them. They have a gun!” For the first time, Seungmin looked stressed to Hyunjin.

“How many did they have?”

“I only saw one but one’s enough.” Felix seemed to be thinking.

“Okay. There’s just one gun.”

“Did I mention there were four of them as well?”

“Well, there’s four of us too.” He counted Changbin and Jeongin.

“They look older, though. Stronger.”

“We just have to take the gun and then get the upper hand.” Seungmin took a few deep breaths.

“Okay. What’s your plan, then?”

“We sneak around from both sides, take cover behind the cars,”

“There’s a van in the middle of the road and they’re behind that.”

“Okay, so we sneak behind the van, you take one side, I take the other. We knock out the two strongest, and then we go for the gun.”

“And what if we get shot?”

“We don’t have time to think about that right now. Let’s go.” Felix has been seeing red ever since he heard gun, Changbin, and Jeongin. “Grab something to hit them with.” Felix went into the kitchen and searched for a pan.

“Here. If things come to shove, we protect ourselves with this.” Felix grabbed one of the knives from the knife block and handed it to Seungmin. The knife felt heavy in his hands.

“You really think we can do this.”

“We can try.”

“And what about Hyunjin?” Seungmin looked over at Hyunjin quickly.

“What about Hyunjin?” 

“Something happens to us or all of us, what happens to Hyunjin?”

“Oh, now you care? I thought you wouldn’t try to save him if we got ambushed.” Seungmin shut up then. “Now can we stop wasting time?” Felix walked out of the kitchen and paused when he looked at a scared Hyunjin. He made a bee line towards him and kneeled down to hug him.

“If something happens to us, I’m sorry.” He said to him, softly. Hyunjin hugged him back tightly and pulled away with tears in his eyes.

“Please be careful.” He said as a tear fell.

“We will be.” Felix knew there was a possibility it could go really bad but like he said, there’s no time to waste so with that promise, he power-walked up to the door and waited for Seungmin to follow him.

“To make things easier, once we get to the van, you go right and I go left.” Seungmin nodded and without anymore hesitations, they were out the door. The van was a few ways down the street, but they were able to get there without being seen. As they ran across the road, they made eye contact with Jeongin and Changbin, but they were quick to hide their shock.

“I don’t want to hurt you guys, but I will if you don’t give us some food.” They could hear one of them say.

“They’re just kids. You can’t shoot them, Woojin.” He heard one of them hiss at who they assume was the one holding the gun.

“Don’t interrupt me.” ‘Woojin’ said back. Felix looked over at Seungmin who looked back at them. Their chests were rising up and down a little too quickly, more so out of the anxiety rather than the physical effort it took to get there.

“On a count of three.” Felix said and Seungmin nodded.

“One…two…three.” They broke away from the van and went around to execute their plan. Seungmin managed to get to the taller one closest to him and smacked him across the head with the pan before putting his arm around his neck and the knife up to it when he quickly realized that it wasn’t enough to knock him out. 

Felix on the other hand was a little slower than Seungmin and didn’t get the chance to hit his target. He hesitated when he saw the familiar blonde hair. It wasn’t until the guy turned enough for Felix to see his profile that he realized who it was. The guy then saw Felix in his peripheral and turned around, his eyes widening as they met with Felix’s.

“F-Felix?” He said softly. Nobody else had the chance to react before the sound of a gun going off rung in the air.

“NO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> real talk though: would you guys prefer I update less frequently like once every few days or something or update whenever i have a chapter ready??
> 
> i want y'all to keep in mind that my track record is a disaster. i usually suck at updating. i have no idea why i'm so excited to write this one like literally no idea. i go to sleep wondering how i'm going to write the next chapter and first thing i do when i wake up is begin writing. i've barely been reading other people's work because i don't want to get accidentally inspired to write something else (like i've been doing ugh)
> 
> i got a lil stuck in this chapter which is why it's a little filler-ish but then the ending came to me at 10 pm and here we are.


	14. Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i've decided to always stay a chapter ahead. soo i'll upload a chapter if i have another one ready as well ya feel

“NO!” Screams came from two directions. Chan ran towards Felix, Changbin ran with every intention to beat up the guy with the gun, Jeongin was frozen, and Seungmin was distracted enough to allow the one he was holding to get out of his reach and hold a different gun to him but Seungmin was in too much shock over what happened to care. 

“I knew him.” Chan whimpered as he held Felix’s bleeding head.

“You motherfucker!” Changbin hit his target in the back with his wrench forcing him to drop his gun but he still didn’t fall down. Changbin threw the wrench down and turned the guy around and began punching him in the face. Woojin was too dazed to fight back. As he fell to the ground with Changbin on top of him, Jisung tried to help him. He attempted to shove Changbin off of him just to get pushed back hard enough to fall to the floor.

“Hey!” Minho yelled and looked back at who he was holding to the gun to before he decided he wasn’t much of a threat. He went to Jisung and asked him if he was all right.

“I’m fine. Help Woojin!” Jisung got up and with Minho’s help, they managed to pull Changbin off of him then the chaos paused for a moment. Seungmin was now next to Felix trying to shove the other guy’s hands off of him.

“Stop touching him! This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you guys!” Chan didn’t know what to do. 

“Let me go.” Changbin whimpered and when the other two wouldn’t let him go, he flailed in their hold.

“Let me go! Let me get to him!” Changbin was crying by this point. Jisung thought maybe the reason he attacked Woojin was justified. 

“Minho, let him go.” Jisung said as he let go of his arm.

“What?” Minho spoke as if Jisung was crazy but Jisung letting go of his arm gave Changbin the strength to pull away from Minho as well and he ran towards Felix.

“Get away from him, asshole.” Changbin grabbed the blonde guy by the arm and pulled him away. He then fell to his knees next to Felix’s head.

“I-i-it’s just a graze. I think he hit his head on the ground and that knocked him out.” Seungmin said.

“Why is this idiot always hitting his head?” Changbin sniffed and let out another sob as he dropped his head over Felix’s chest. 

“We should get him to the house. Hyunjin must be freaking out.”

Changbin gathered Felix into his arms and carefully lifted him up. Last second, he remembered about Jeongin.

“Help Jeongin with the carts.” Seungmin looked over, passed the other 3 still staring at them, and walked over to Jeongin.

“I-is he dead?” Jeongin was crying when he got to him. Seungmin wrapped one arm around his shoulders and gave him a half hug.

“No. He might have a concussion though. Either way, we have to be careful. Let’s get to the house, quickly.” Seungmin grabbed the water cart a few feet away from Jeongin and led them back. As they passed the other three, Seungmin saw that they were gathered around the guy with the gun and Changbin was already halfway to the house with Felix.

“Hey, wait.”

“You don’t talk to us; you don’t look at us. If anything, I should take this damn gun and shoot one of you too! An eye for an eye!” Seungmin said as he grabbed the gun that was dropped and pointed it in their general direction.

“Hey, no. put it down. Please.” Jisung raised his arms up and Chan followed suit. “We’re sorry, please.”

“I knew him. I knew Felix. I was with him before this whole thing happened. We…we got separated. I didn’t think I’d see him again.” The blonde guy was crying uncontrollably. “Please. I need to see if he’s okay.”

“He’s not. And you’re not going to see any of us again. If you know what’s good for you, you’d stay away from us. Don’t threaten us again.” Seungmin kept the gun as he returned to the water cart and followed Jeongin back towards the house. They struggled bringing the carts up the steps into the house but eventually they did it. They locked the door and rolled the carts into the kitchen then went into the living room where Changbin already had a wet cloth pressed up to Felix’s head. Hyunjin was looking through the kit frantically and with shaky hands, he took out the alcohol and the cotton balls.

“H-here.” He passed them over to Changbin who traded it with the cloth.

“Press this against his wound.” Hyunjin nodded and did so, trying to keep his hands steady enough.

Changbin opened the bottle of alcohol and soaked the cotton balls with it.

“Okay, lift it off.” Hyunjin took off the cloth and Changbin began cleaning his wounds off.

“At least he’s not awake to feel the sting.” Jeongin said. Changbin nodded and concentrated on cleaning him up. He took off the existing band aid on his forehead and cleaned that off too.

“One of those guys said they knew him. Was with him before the world went to shit.” Seungmin mentioned.

“They got a funny way of greeting him.” Changbin threw the used-up cotton balls harshly on the ground.

“Yeah. I managed to take one of their guns, though.” Seungmin grabbed the hunting rifle from where he left it on the kitchen counter.

“Good. That’s good, Seungmin.” Changbin nodded.

“Do you think they left?” Jeongin asked.

“We should check. Come on.” Seungmin and Jeongin then went upstairs and checked out the window. Jeongin grabbed the binoculars that he left on the window sill and looked out the window. Seungmin used the rifle to look. 

“They’re still there.” Jeongin said. They were still gathered around the one on the ground that Changbin had beat up.

“There’s 5 walkers down the street.”

“Oh shit.” Jeongin looked even further and saw some more. “Is this a herd?”

“A small herd. They heard the gunshot.” 

“Shit…should we tell them?”

“No. Fuck them. They almost killed Felix. Hell, we’re not even sure if he’ll make it since he slammed his head on the road.”

“But you did sneak up on them. Maybe it was an accident.”

“Jeongin, thinking like that is what will get you killed. We’re not helping them.” Jeongin didn’t feel right about letting them die like that. One of them even knew Felix. If Felix trusted someone like him, then…then, he should be a good guy, right?

“Fine.” He told him, but he didn’t like it.

“Keep watch, make sure they don’t come near the house.” Jeongin nodded and watched as Seungmin left to go back downstairs. Jeongin looked back out the window. The blonde guy and the brunette one lifted him off the ground. It seemed like he was conscious as he took a few steps himself. The shorter one took the gun from the brunette and led them around the van. As the other two struggled to move with the injured guy, Jeongin knew they wouldn’t be able to get away from the small herd fast enough. Jeongin once again felt the same way he did when he saw Hyunjin. He couldn’t leave them like that. Jeongin had an internal battle but when he saw the shorter one panic with the gun and the first zombie to reach them, Jeongin jumped into action. He went down the stairs as quietly as he could, took the hammer that he always left by the door and opened the front door, cringing when it made a noise. He waited to see if anybody heard it, but they were all talking loudly enough that they didn’t notice it. So, then, Jeongin was once again running out of the house.

He looked on as they struggled to move with one of them constantly looking back and yelling for the other guy to stay close.

“Jisung-ah! Come here. We gotta get to one of these houses.” Jeongin made it to the sidewalk where they could see him.

“Hey! Quickly, come on.” Jeongin went across the street and stood next to the motor home.

“Over here. There’s a small herd coming. You have to find shelter now. Felix and Changbin were in here when we found them. Should be good enough until they pass.” Jeongin helped them by carrying the injured one’s legs.

“Why are you helping us?” The brunette asked him.

“No time for questions. They’re getting closer.” Jeongin wondered if he’d have enough time to get back to the house. Shit, Seungmin was going to be so mad at him. He didn’t even want to think about Changbin. 

“Hey, open the door.” He told the one holding the gun. He quickly did so before moving out to way to give them space. Jeongin went in first and after some more struggling, they all got into the motor home. Jisung quickly closed the door.

“Wait, I need to go back.”

“They’re right there. I don’t think that’ll be a good idea.” He said. “We should get down.”

“There’s a bed back there that you can put him on.” The other two nodded and did just that. Jeongin looked out the window in the main area and looked at the house. They probably don’t know yet. Yeah, he’s really dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uri skz need better communication skills am i rite


	15. Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lil short but jeongin really be going thru it huh

“It’s getting dark. We never figured out the sleeping arrangements.” Hyunjin pointed out, looking out the window.

“You’re right. There are a few mattresses upstairs. I was thinking we should bring them down here.” Seungmin said.

“Why down here, though? Can’t we just go upstairs?” Changbin asked. Seungmin shrugged and glanced over at Hyunjin before he looked back down at his hands.

“We should all stick together, you know. If we need to leave quickly, we’d have to go downstairs first or if something happens downstairs, we might not hear it. Things like that.” Changbin understood.

“Then let’s bring the mattresses down.” Changbin looked down at Felix and ran a hand through the good part of his head.

“Watch over him for me?” He asked Hyunjin. Changbin admits he was jealous of Hyunjin when they first met. Felix barely knew him and already gravitated towards him, even babied him a little. Changbin somehow felt betrayed that just a few hours earlier, he was holding Felix to his chest and telling him everything will be all right and then he meets Hyunjin and he’s practically doing the same thing to him. But as Hyunjin smiled reassuringly and nodded, Changbin knew he could trust him and that he should get over himself. Changbin stood up and followed Seungmin up the stairs.

“I saw a couple of twins and a double.” Changbin nodded. 

“Let’s just bring them all down.” 

“All right. Jeongin-ah. Help us bring the beds…” Seungmin stood at the doorway of the room that he swore he left Jeongin in. Confused, Seungmin checked the next room but he wasn’t there. He checked all the rooms but came out with nothing.

“Where the hell is Jeongin?” Changbin furrowed his eyebrows.

“Where was he last?”

“This room. I told him to look.” Seungmin’s eyes zeroed in on the binoculars back on the window sill.

“Idiot. This idiot went out to help them.” Seungmin ran back down the stairs and opened the front door with Changbin following close behind him. Seungmin immediately shut it when his eyes caught sight of the zombies beginning to pass them.

“Shit. Where the hell is he?” Seungmin paced up the hallway.

“Seungmin?” Hyunjin called out. “What’s happening?”

“I think Jeongin left to help them.” He said as the both of them walked into the living room once more.

“What? Go get him. We can’t trust them.”

“There’s a herd outside right now. We can’t leave.”

“So, Jeongin is out there with that herd?” Hyunjin got up onto his knees.

“I don’t know where he is. He could’ve run for cover.”

“Maybe they’re inside the motor home.” Changbin realized. “It was close, and he probably ran out of time to come back.”

“They just threatened us with real guns with real bullets and he still went out and helped them?” Seungmin asked incredulously.

“He helped me when he didn’t even know me. I guess he’s the kind to not leave people for dead.” Hyunjin pointed out. “It’s nice to know humanity still exists to some.” 

“If we sit around thinking humanity still exists when people like them are roaming the streets, threatening you to give them everything you have, then we surely won’t make it. Hyung, you were right. We shouldn’t be in groups.” Changbin gave him a sharp look but Seungmin was too busy going back up the stairs to observe the motor home until the herd passes by.

“You didn’t want to be in a group?” Changbin took a while to respond to Hyunjin’s question Instead, he bought himself some time as he walked over to sit on the arm of the couch.

“I care too easily. I know it might be hard to believe when my knuckles are this bloody, but I get attached easily. I didn’t want to worry about anyone else but me and Seungmin. It was hard enough having to come to terms with the possibility that one day, Seungmin might not be next to me or I’ll be gone myself and he’ll be alone.”

“I won’t lie to you and say that it won’t happen. That might still happen. But at least now, if one of us goes, we still won’t be alone.”

“I don’t want any of us to go, though.” Changbin said softly, afraid that his voice will crack as he stared at Felix’s closed eyes.

“Me either.” Hyunjin whispered.

 

“How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here?” Jisung asked.

“If you don’t make any noise, not for too long.” Jeongin responded. “It isn’t that big of a herd but it’s enough to get ambushed if we attract them.”

“And what if we do get ambushed?” The brunette continued the questioning.

“There’s a window there. I don’t know if all of us will be able to go through it if the zombies catch on, though.” Everyone looked stressed but had to accept the reality of it.

“Why did you help us?” The blonde guy asked. Jeongin blinked and looked down at his hands. He was sat at the small dinette with the blonde guy sitting on the bed in the back with the door open, the brunette was leaning against the kitchenette in between them and Jisung was sitting across from Jeongin.

“I don’t know. I should’ve left you all for dead for threatening me and my friends.” The blonde guy and the shorter one didn’t look too proud of that, but the brunette stayed looking impassive.

“I’m sorry.”

“That won’t cut it. My friend got shot.” The blonde guy began tearing up and he looked away. “You said you knew him. From where?”

“We’re from the same country, from Australia. We went to school together. I moved here a few years ago and he told me he’ll meet me here when he becomes of age. He turned 18 a few days before he came here. If it wasn’t for me, he’d probably still be safe in Australia.” He sniffed, not bothering to wipe the tears from his cheeks.

“No one knew this was going to happen, Chan.” Jisung reassured him. 

“Still. I forced him to move countries for what? He would constantly tell me he missed home, and I’d tell him to go back. That he doesn’t have to be here, but he said he’d miss me too if he went back.” Chan chuckled humorlessly. “Somewhere in the beginning, we lost each other. I thought about him every day. How could I have left him like that?” Chan was sobbing by this point. Jisung stood up and sat next to Chan to give him a hug.

“It’s not your fault, Channie. Although the circumstances aren’t the best, and we’re going to have to have a serious talk with Chuck Norris over here when he wakes up, at least you found him again.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think we’ll be able to stay together this time.”

“Why not?” Chan gestured towards Woojin and then Jeongin.

“We shot him. A-and I’m sure him and his group don’t want us anywhere near him.”

“But you knew him first. You practically grew up with him.” The brunette finally spoke up on the matter. Jeongin felt a surge of anger.

“I’ll say what Changbin-hyung said, you sure got a funny way of greeting him. I haven’t known Felix-hyung that long, but I know enough that he wouldn’t agree with the way you treat innocent people.” The brunette glared at him but Jeongin didn’t back down. “He’s not going with you guys. He’s safe with us.”

“Yeah, a bunch of little kids trying to protect each other. You called him hyung so you’re younger than him and he’s already a kid himself.” Jeongin glared at him. 

“Just because I’m young, doesn’t mean I can’t protect myself or my friends.”

“How’s that working out for you?” Jeongin didn’t know how to respond to that. “I saw how you froze and stayed frozen when we found you. You didn’t do a thing to save your friend.”

“Minho!” Jisung scolded. Jeongin’s eyes began watering but he wouldn’t dare cry in front of this Minho asshole.

“I should’ve left you for dead.” Jeongin stared out of the cloth covered window and watched as the heads of the zombies stumbled by. He can’t wait until he could go back home.


	16. Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasted my weekend not doing any amount of hw :D

“Herd’s gone.” Seungmin said as he went down the stairs. Changbin looked over to the hallway and saw Seungmin beginning to open the front door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Changbin ran after him and blocked his way.

“Getting the idiot back. And shooting them if they hurt a single hair on his head.” He tried shoving past the older.

“Give me the gun, Seungmin-ah.” Seungmin glared at him.

“No.”

“If you give me the gun, I’ll go with you.” 

“Why should I give you the gun?”

“You’re emotional right now. You shouldn’t have it. Give me the gun and we’ll go get Jeongin.” Seungmin scoffed and shoved the rifle onto Changbin’s chest.

“I still got fists, you know?”

“You can’t even take a punch.” Changbin smirked before he turned around and began walking towards the sidewalk. He looked around to determine if the herd was far away enough. Once he saw them far away enough in the distance, Changbin ran towards the motor home with Seungmin following close behind.

“You sure they’re in there?”

“Yeah, I was looking through the binoculars.” Changbin pounded his fist at the door and pointed the gun at it, waiting for someone to open it. A few seconds later, Jeongin was looking through the window on the door before he opened it. Changbin put down the gun as he did so.

“You idiot!” Seungmin yelled.

“Now’s not the time to call him that!” Changbin was growing tired of Seungmin insulting the younger.

“Let’s go.” Jeongin said with tears threatening to fall.

“Did they hurt you?” Changbin asked him.

“No. Let’s just go.” Jeongin slammed the door shut and began walking towards the house. The other two looked at the motor home not knowing what to do next before choosing to follow the younger. As they reached the porch, Changbin looked back and saw the blonde guy looking out the window at them. He was curious about him, but he was not Changbin’s responsibility. None of them were. As soon as they entered the house, Seungmin was yelling at Jeongin.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Jeongin didn’t respond, he just walked into the living room and sat next to Hyunjin.

“I told you to stay up there and keep watch not to sneak out in the middle of a herd passing and risk your life to save them when they literally shot at one of us.” Jeongin still didn’t speak but he cuddled up against Hyunjin.

“You’re not going to say anything? They could’ve hurt you. Taken advantage of your so called ‘humanity’ or ‘hospitality’ or whatever and killed you. You don’t know if that guy was lying about knowing him. You don’t know if the other one with a gun could’ve pulled it out on you and shot you.” Jeongin hid his face in Hyunjin’s neck.

“That’s enough, Seungmin-ah.” Changbin hissed.

“No, it’s not! Someone has to take control around here. We can’t have this shit happening behind our backs. That was a stupid move!” Jeongin whimpered and tried to make himself smaller.

“That’s enough! Seungmin.” It was quiet except for the sounds of Jeongin crying. Hyunjin had wrapped both of his arms around Jeongin and glared at Seungmin.

“What the hell’s the matter with you?” Changbin scolded Seungmin.

“None of this should’ve happened!” 

“But we’re fine. We got the food, Jeongin’s back home and safe.”

“And what about Felix? Hmm?” Changbin shut his mouth. “Did you forget your little boyfriend is lying on the couch unconscious.”

“You’re getting out of hand right now, Seungmin.”

“I’m the only one thinking straight around here! We can’t be playing house, taking in everyone we see, trying to save everybody. This time we were lucky. We got away with the food and Jeongin. But what about next time?”

“I’ll remind you, Seungmin, that we saved you too. Are you saying we should throw you out as well?” Hyunjin told him.

“You didn’t do shit. He did.” Seungmin pointed at Jeongin.

“Fine. But he didn’t have to. He had the upper hand and he could have thrown you back out there but instead he gave you a place to stay, he helped you get Changbin and Felix, and he helped all of us get food and water. All you’ve done is complain. At least I have an injury but what’s your excuse?”

“Please, stop.” Jeongin whimpered. Hyunjin held him tighter.

“I’m sorry, Innie.”

“I just want to sleep.” 

“I’ll get the mattresses.” Changbin announced. Seungmin sighed and went to follow him but Changbin stopped him.

“No. I’ll get them my damn self.” Seungmin realized he messed up. Once again, he let his emotions get the best of him and now he is hated by his entire group and he made the youngest cry. He looked at them all before going to the dining room and sitting at the table, away from the rest of them.

 

“Unghh…” Chan looked over at Woojin as he began waking up.

“Woojin!”

“Shit…I feel like a car hit me.”

“You look like it too.” Minho commented.

“What the hell happened?”

“Well, you shot someone. Someone I knew by the way. He was just a kid. Why the hell did you shoot?” Chan smacked him in the leg which the other didn’t respond to. “You were going in and out of consciousness, but we had to get out of there. A herd was coming our way. We probably would’ve gotten caught if one of them hadn’t come out and helped us into the RV.”

“Shit.” He swore once more under his breath. “…Are you mad at me?”

“Of course, I fucking am, Woojin!” Jisung got Minho’s attention and pointed back to the main area of the RV and they both went and left them alone. Even though they shut the door, it was a small space so they could hear them perfectly fine. To Jisung, it felt like his parents were fighting and he had to pretend he didn’t notice. To Minho, it felt like a nuisance. He should be back at home, about to go to bed with Jisung and falling asleep to a movie playing in the background.

“They were just kids! You had no reason to point a gun at them! They didn’t even have guns themselves. You shot an unarmed kid!”

“Channie,”

“I was fine with you getting the guns. I was fine with you carrying it around. But I thought you would only use them for the zombies or even dangerous people, but they were just trying to survive.” Woojin slowly sat up and no matter how mad he was at Woojin at the moment, he couldn’t stop himself from helping him.

“I’m sorry, Chan. All I heard was one of you getting hit and I just…I didn’t think. I just pulled the trigger.”

“You’re lucky you missed. And you’re right, you didn’t think. You can’t just shoot and ask questions later.” Chan was growing too tired to hold the same amount of anger as he did a few seconds earlier.

“I won’t hold the gun anymore then. I think Jisung should. Minho likes to keep him far from trouble so he should have it.”

“I’ll tell them that. But you should know, they took one of the guns.”

“Who?”

“Felix’s group.”

“Who’s Felix?”

“The one you shot. He was my friend. He’s in Korea because of me.” Chan looked down at his fingers, the guilt continuing to eat at him. Woojin lifted his chin with his fingers.

“It’s not your fault. No one expected this to happen. And he’s still alive. You can still meet up with him.”

“His group doesn’t want us around them. I can’t imagine Felix wants to be with us either.”

“Chan, can I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

“If you had to choose between us and Felix, what would you do?” Chan was speechless. 

“Wh—Why are you asking me that?” Woojin shrugged.

“You said you were friends with him before this all happened. I just want to know if you had to choose, what would you do?” Woojin asked him gently, trying not to sound like he had to choose right here, right now. 

“I…I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think about that.” Woojin nodded. “I mean, yeah, I’ve known Felix for nearly 7 years now and I don’t want to leave him again, but I like you...guys. I like you guys.” Woojin tried biting back his smile as Chan continued. “I mean we probably fight a little too much but…I like you.” Woojin looked over at him again.

“I like you, too.” Chan smiled. “But if you have the chance to stay with him, I think you should.”

“Woojin,” Chan pouted.

“He’s your friend. It’d be good to be with people you know. I know if I found any of my old friends…or my family, I’d want to be with them, too.”

“Maybe I can convince them to accept us, take a chance with us.” Woojin doubted it, however. But he also didn’t want to think about losing Chan yet. So, he let it go and began leaning back to lay down.

“I don’t want to leave you, Woojin. Honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do if the chance comes up. I know you’re nice, nice enough to save a couple of strangers. Yeah, I’m a little mad at you but things happen for a reason.” Chan grabbed Woojin’s bigger hands and held it, hesitating a little as he did so, but Woojin squeezed it right back. Chan didn’t say anything else and just stared at Woojin’s red, black, and blue face as he closed his eyes. Then, with his eyes still closed, Woojin moved over and laid down on his side.

“Lay down. It’s been a long day.” Chan scoffed and smiled before he let go of Woojin’s hand to do just that. Now Chan was staring at Woojin’s face while laying down on his side.

“How’s your face feeling?”

“I don’t even want to think about it.” Chan giggled. Woojin smiled.

“That’s the first time I heard you laugh, I think.”

“It’s your turn now.”

“Maybe later. I’m a lil tired.” Woojin’s words began slurring slightly as he started falling asleep. Chan couldn’t for a while, the day replaying over and over in his head. It really has been a long day and he stayed up most of the night just thinking of what to do.


	17. Hyunjin/Seungmin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a lil short pls read end notes

That night, after all the chaos boiled down, the nine boys fell asleep, most of them in pairs.

In the motorhome, Chan and Woojin took the double bed in the back room while Jisung and Minho fell asleep rather uncomfortably in the dinette, cuddling up to each other.

Back at the house, Changbin had taken all the mattresses upstairs and brought them to the living room. With the help of Jeongin and a crawling Hyunjin, they pushed the couches and coffee table out of the way so all the mattresses could fit side by side on the ground to make a giant bed that took out the entirety of the living room.

“We should put Felix on the mattress. I slept on the couch before and it’s not that comfortable.” Changbin agreed and then Jeongin, Hyunjin, Changbin, and Felix slept on the twin mattresses side by side on the floor with Felix in between Changbin and Jeongin. Changbin didn’t bother asking Seungmin to join them, figuring he needed to get his shit together if he thought that fighting and insulting each other throughout the apocalypse was the way to go.

But out in the dining room where Seungmin holed himself up in, his head was resting on his arms on top of the table and he cried silently to himself. He knew everything he did and said was uncalled for. But he often speaks before he thinks and now everyone was mad at him. Even Changbin didn’t come to check on him. 

Maybe his crying wasn’t as quiet as he thought because just a few minutes after he started, he heard movement to his right. He lifted his head and saw Hyunjin crawling on the floor and peaking his head around the entry way.

“Are you crying?” 

“No. I snore in my sleep.”

“That didn’t sound like a snore.” Seungmin didn’t know how to respond to that. He hoped it would trick him. “Why are you here? There’s plenty of room in the living room.”

‘I’m fine here. Keeping watch.” He pointed to the windows that had the curtains drawn.

“Oh. Yeah. You can see everything from here.” Seungmin sighed.

“Go back to sleep, Hyunjin-ah.”

“I will if you come with me. It’s been a long day. You should get some proper rest.” Seungmin didn’t respond. He didn’t know if he hoped that Hyunjin would give up and leave him there or what. But instead, Hyunjin crawled even closer and Seungmin watched as he struggled to get himself up on one of the chairs to sit next to him. He watched as he flinched and tried hard to hide the fact that it hurt. When Hyunjin managed to sit down completely, he looked at Seungmin.

“Fine. Then I guess I’ll stay here.”

“Hyunjin-ah, I’m sure your feet don’t feel good right now.”

“I’ll be fine. Tell me what’s on your mind, Seungmin-ah.” The latter sighed and fiddled with his fingers.

“I was really mean, wasn’t I?”

“That’s a bit of an understatement, Seungmin. Say whatever you want about me but what you said to Jeongin was completely uncalled for. He may be the youngest but he’s not a baby. He can make his own choices and he doesn’t need you to call him names and yell at him the way you did.” Seungmin sniffed and nodded.

“You’re right. You’re completely right.” They sat in silence for a moment.

“You should apologize to him. Like really apologize. Talk to him. I’m sure he will forgive you if you say the right words.”

“I will. I was thinking about what I will say to him.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of the right words to say. You’re not a bad person, Seungmin. I can see where you came from.”

“…I care about you guys. I’ve never been good at showing affection. Changbin-hyung always got mad at me when I’d yell at him every time he got in a fight, but I just don’t know how else to show that I care. My dad…he would yell at me a lot. He barely hugged me or praised me, but my mom said that he was like that because he cared for me. I guess that’s where I got it from.”

“I think you know that it’s not very effective, but it’s what you grew up with so it’s all you know. Right?” Seungmin nodded. “You don’t have to be the same way. You’re not your dad.”

“You’re right, I’m not. I wouldn’t sacrifice any of you if push comes to shove.” Seungmin said bitterly and Hyunjin gasped.

“He did that to you?”

“I had 2 other siblings and I was the oldest. He claimed he couldn’t look after me, my mother and my two siblings at the same time, that they needed to survive but so did I.” Seungmin began crying angry tears. “He just left me there, tied to the chair in the kitchen and they left. Not only did he leave me but so did my mom.” Hyunjin couldn’t believe that.

“Changbin-hyung actually was the one who found me there and untied me. He also couldn’t believe that they would do something like that to me. I don’t know if they’re still alive right now, but I couldn’t care less if they weren’t.” That conversation gave Hyunjin an even better insight into Seungmin’s personality. He was hurt his whole life making him a little bitter and too much like his father, he assumed.

“I can’t say that I understand how you feel because I’ve never experienced something like that. But we wouldn’t leave you like that. If we’re going to stick together as a group, we have to learn to trust each other and have better communication, you were right about that. Although Jeongin got lucky this time doesn’t mean if he does it again, that it’ll go well.”

“We need to have a meeting or something.” Seungmin scoffed.

“Yeah, actually. A group meeting. Discussion.” Seungmin nodded.

“Hyunjin-ah…” When Seungmin didn’t continue, Hyunjin hummed in encouragement. “When I said…or insinuated that I would leave you if we get ambushed…I didn’t mean that.”

“I know that now. It’s what your family did to you.” Seungmin nodded and out of nowhere, began sobbing. Hyunjin panicked and slid his chair closer so he can rub a hand up and down Seungmin’s back in comfort.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful with what I’ve said.” Seungmin shook his head.

“No, no. You don’t need to be careful. I can handle it. I just…”

“Let it out, Seungmin-ah. I’m right here.” Seungmin, for once, let himself be comforted and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4/22
> 
> henlo frens
> 
> sorry it's short, i didn't want to leave you guys hanging today
> 
> but just a lil heads up...i'm semi panicking cause i left all my school work for the last week and i've been drawing for nearly 12 hours straight today (for school), my 1000 piece puzzle still isn't finished, i bought a dartboard and i haven't hung it up yet
> 
> so about that heads up yeah i might not update tomorrow or until friday tbh because again semi panicking thnx
> 
> ALSO can anyone recommend me a goOd zombie show to watch on netflix that isn't twd, black summer, izombie or santa clarita diet pls and thnx  
> (if it's too good and it's not on netflix then i'll find a way!)


	18. Chan/Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops sike updated before friday ahtnwejknjnfosb

He had no nightmares as he slept. He was holding his friends without them getting yanked out of his arms and eaten by other undead humans, he was sitting on the sand in the beach, his head tilted towards the sun until his friends picked him up and took him to the water. He can’t remember the last time he slept that peacefully. When he woke up, he almost forgot that half of the population has been wiped out. 

He woke up warm, under several thin blankets, one pair of arms wrapped around him and a hand holding his loosely. He could hear and feel breathing on his neck and his arm. He didn’t want to move so he didn’t for a few minutes. He just laid there, dozing off here and there, not hearing anything other than them all breathing. And then it all hit him, the sound of yelling, the sound of crying, the sound of a gun going off. 

His eyes shot open and his body stiffened. Was he alive? If he was dead, then heaven is pretty…normal. He slowly moved his head to his right, trying to see who was the one holding him and when he realized he couldn’t see their face, he switched to the left just for a sharp pain to shoot through head. He groaned at the shock of it and groaned again as the pain continued to ache. It was like all at once, it hit him. The two people next to him woke up at the sound of him.

“Felix?”  
“Hyung?”  
“You’re awake!”  
“Oh!” They both sat up and looked down at him.

“Why does my head hurt so much?” He moaned. Jeongin and Changbin looked at each other, silently deciding how they’re going to respond to him.

“You got hurt in the head. You’ve been out since then, but it hasn’t been too long. How do you feel?” Changbin asked, a hand smoothing down his hair gently. 

“Like…someone hit me in the head with a hammer or something.” He unlocked hands with Jeongin and went to touch his head when Jeongin grabbed the hand back and put it down slowly.

“Better not to touch it. We cleaned it and put a bandage on it, though. We’ll clean it again later but for now, don’t touch it, okay, hyung?” 

“Okay.” Felix closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the hand that began petting his face.

“Wait…Chris. Uh, Chan. I saw Chan. Where is he?” Felix pushed Changbin’s hand away and tried sitting up while ignoring the pain but Changbin and Jeongin once again stopped him.

“The blonde guy?” 

“Yeah, is he okay? Did he get shot? I heard a gunshot?” They seemed to hesitate which brought Felix into a small panic.

“Don’t tell me he got shot. No, no. He can’t be. I lost him a while ago and I just found him again. He can’t be dead.” Tears started clouding his sight until Changbin gave him a small smile.

“He’s not dead, Felix. He’s fine. I promise.”

“Oh, thank god. Where is he then? I want to see him.”

“Felix…” Changbin sighed before grabbing his hand and holding it. “Something happened when you heard that gunshot.” Changbin carefully inspected his facial expressions. He was confused. “I don’t know if you remember the one who had the gun, but he shot you. He missed but he still pulled the trigger and you fell back and hit your head on the ground.” Felix seemed to be in shock and once again, he brought his hand up to his head slowly to give both of them some time to stop him, and when they didn’t, he carefully touched the bandage wrapped around his head like a bandana.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. It scared the shit out of us. And um…I may have beat him up. The one who shot you.” Felix didn’t seem to know what to say to that information. 

“But wait, what does this have to do with Chris though?” Felix sighed. “Chan, I mean.” 

“We got mad. You may know this Chan or Chris guy, whatever you call him, but we don’t. We just know him as a friend of the one who held a gun at us and shot you.” 

“…Did you kill him?”

“I just told you he’s fine.”

“Then where is he?”

“They’re in the motor home. A small herd was passing by and Jeongin helped him to it. He got stuck there with them which by the way, kid, we still need to talk about what happened.” Jeongin looked away but nodded. Felix wrapped his fingers around Jeongin’s arm and squeezed it to show that he was there for him.

“And then Seungmin got mad at Jeongin, Hyunjin got mad at him for being mad at Jeongin, I got mad at everyone for being mad, I brought the mattresses down, and now here we are.”

“So…they’re safe?” Changbin shrugged.

“I guess. I mean, it’s not like we’re babysitting them either.”

“Can I please go see Chan?”

“Felix, I don’t think you should be up and walking yet, especially not outside.”

“Then bring him to me. Please. He was my friend from Australia. I need to see him again.” Felix pleaded. Changbin sighed.

“Fine. I’ll bring him. Only him.” 

“Thank you. Really.” Changbin nodded and as he stood up, he noticed something.

“Wait, where’s Hyunjin?” Jeongin whirled around and noticed he wasn’t next to him.

“Where could he have gone? He can’t walk. Do you think they stole him?” Jeongin’s eyes widened.

“No fucking way.” Changbin marched over to the front door and as he put his hand on the knob, he noticed two bodies in the dining room. His jaw dropped slightly in shock. Before he tip-toed back into the living room with a shit eating grin.

“They’re cuddling in the dining room.” Felix jaw also dropped in shock, but he was smiling too. Jeongin did the opposite, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion before he laughed it off.

“Wow. Last night, before we went to sleep, those two were at each other’s necks.” 

“We shouldn’t wake them. At least not Seungmin. I have a feeling he’ll object to me bringing Chan here. I should go quickly.”

“Take the gun.” Jeongin reminded him.

“You have a gun?” Felix asked him.

“Seungmin took one of theirs. They had two.” Felix accepted that answer. “Now stop moving your head so much. And don’t go to sleep again. You might’ve gotten a concussion. Jeongin, pay attention if he starts to say weird shit or he starts slurring.” Jeongin nodded.

“Will do, hyung. Be careful, okay?” Changbin nodded back.

“If Chan is with them, then they won’t hurt you. Chan wouldn’t be with bad people.”

“Can never be too sure, Lix. I’ll be back.” Changbin grabbed the gun from where he put it next to his side of the mattress and as quietly as possible walked out of the house. He looked around to make sure there weren’t too many zombies before he jogged across the street.

For a moment, he leaned his hair against the door to see if he would hear anything. After hearing only silence, he positioned himself with the gun before knocking twice and backing up. The one he recognized to have had t he second gun looked out the window before opening the door.

“Put it down, Rick Grimes. We’re not gonna shoot you again. Come in before the biters do.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m just here for Chan.” The guy gave him a suspicious look.

“He’s asleep right now. Come back later.”

“It’s now or never so you better wake him up.”

“Listen here, pip squeak, even if he was awake, we’re not letting him go with you by himself.”

“Why not?”

“What? Are you an idiot? Did you forget the part where we accidentally shot your friend?”

“Didn’t look much like an accident if you had it pointed at us.”

“You ambushed us!”

“You had a gun pointed at us!”

“Minho, calm down!” 

“Hey, hey! What’s going on out here?” Chan himself walked out of the backroom.

“Chan? Felix is awake and he wants to see you. Just you.” Changbin made a point to say that last bit.

“He’s awake? Let’s go, then.” Chan ran out the of the motor home before he turned around to look at Minho.

“You’re in charge for now. Jisung, take care of Woojin if he wakes up before I come back.”

“Okay, hyung.” Chan went to follow Changbin but faltered a little as the reality hit that Jisung called him hyung for the first time. He looked back at Jisung who looked a little nervous but when Chan gave him a smile, he gave a shy one back.

“Chan?”

“Coming. Sorry. I-is he okay?”

“He’s fine. Just wanted to see you. If Seungmin wakes up though, don’t expect him to be too happy to see you.”

“Noted.”

As they walked into the house, Changbin glanced at the dining room to see it empty.

“Well, shit. Seungmin’s awake.”

“Yes, Seungmin is awake. And Seungmin isn’t too happy.” The boy himself said as he walked into the hallway.

“But Seungmin will suck it up and let Chan talk to Felix because Felix asked to, okay?” Changbin talked back. Seungmin rolled his eyes and motioned towards the living room, letting them pass, not stopping himself from glaring at Chan as he did so. Chan looked down in shame. Sure, he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger, but he was associated with them.

“Chris?”

“Felix.” Chan breathed out before he ran past Changbin to kneel next to Felix. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, mate. Are you okay? I think I heard he missed but you also fell back pretty hard.” They were speaking in a language that Changbin knew to be English but didn’t know nearly enough of it to understand what they were saying.

“I’m fine, Chris. Don’t worry about it. I’m not mad at you. I promise.”

“Shit, man.” Chan sat properly on his bum and took off his shoes before crossing his legs. Yeah, maybe his clothes aren’t much cleaner than his shoes, but he still knows better.

“What happened, mate? One minute we were together and the next…”

“I’m sorry. God, I always seem to mess up.” Chan ran a frustrated hand over his hair and face.

“Don’t say that, man. It wasn’t your fault. In a state of panic, it’s hard to think straight.”

“Yeah, but you’re like my little brother. I should’ve taken care of you better.”

“Well, here’s your second chance, then.” Chan smiled at him and grabbed his hand.

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy this time, mate.”

“What do you mean? You can move in here and we can take care of each other. Our group will grow. We can divide the work. It’ll be so much easier and smoother and—”

“Felix, your group hates me and my group.”

“We can work it out.” Chan shook his head slightly.

“You know, Woojin, the one who shot you, he asked me something last night that has been in my head since. He asked me if I had the chance to be with you, would I leave them for you? And the answer is I don’t know.

On one hand, you’ve been my best friend for years and by sheer luck we found each other again but on the other hand…I’ve grown attached to the others. Woojin and Minho may be assholes, but I know behind all of that, they have a soft heart. And Jisung, man, Jisung just called me hyung. He’s never called me that. Granted it’s only been like a day or two.” Felix laughed.

“They sound nice.”

“Maybe nice isn’t the right word.”

“You’re right. How about…”

“Decent?” Felix chuckled.

“Tolerable?” Chan laughed.

“Yeah, I guess they are.” Chan distracted himself by rubbing off the dirt on Felix’s fingers. 

“We can work it out. Maybe Seungmin will come around.”

“Oh, so it’s up to me now?” A new voice spoke up. Felix accepted the pain in his head as he quickly looked over to the culprit.

“You speak English?!” Felix felt betrayed, bamboozled as the boy nodded. “All this time as I was struggling to explain myself in Korean and you could speak English? Wow.”

“I’m not that good, though.”

“Your pronunciation’s perfect though.” Chan smiled at him and for a moment Seungmin forgot he was supposed to hate him and shrugged, trying not to let a smile poke through.

“Can we work it out, Seungmin-ah?” Felix asked him, switching back to Korean. Seungmin once again shrugged and looked away. 

“I suppose.” He mumbled but they all understood it. 

“Hyung?” Felix asked Changbin. Changbin looked between Chan and Felix.

“Don’t expect me to call you hyung just yet. You gotta earn it.” Chan smiled and nodded.

“I can respect that.”

“Jeongin-ah?” The boy shrugged.

“I remember that Chan-ssi was trying to stop the other guy. So, I know you’re not a bad person. It’s the others that I’m not too sure about.” Chan nodded.

“I know I can’t force you guys to believe me but you’re just going to have to take my word for it. They’re not bad people. We’re just scared. Like all of you guys are. But you’re right. It went too far, but I promise we’ll make it up to you. Give you guys a break and do all the runs we have to do to be comfortable here together.” Jeongin gave him a smile and nodded.

“I’d like that…hyung.” Chan smiled and nodded back.

“What about Hyunjin? Where is he?”

“ _Hyunjin_ needed to use the bathroom and you all left him here and forgot about him!” Hyunjin shouted from the bathroom at the end of the hallway.

“Oh! Are you done?” Jeongin asked him.

“It’s been like 10 minutes! I’ve been done!” That was the first laugh they all shared together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp...everything i said i had to do...was sorta done?  
> i finished my puzzle :] it's gorgeous.  
> i gave up on my sketches for school just to be told it's due nEXT week so the lord was on my side today  
> and that damn dartboard...still isn't hung up. i tried tho
> 
> and soo t o make up for my false heads up, i made this chapter a teenssssssyyyyyy bit longer :D:D:D:D


	19. Chan/Jisung/Minho/Woojin

Changbin watched from the porch with his gun as Chan ran across the street and entered the motor home once more. Minho was on the couch with his gun next to him and he was skimming through a Mechanics magazine. He set it down as Chan came in, ready to get up and fight before realizing who it was.

“Oh. Welcome. Have fun fraternizing with the enemy?” He said, going back to pretending to be interested in the magazine.

“They’re not enemies. They can be allies. Friends.” Minho didn’t seem to be listening, but Chan knows he is.

“I spoke to them all. Not just Felix. They said we can work this out and merge. Become a group together.” Minho scoffed.

“You believed them?”

“Yes.” Minho dropped the magazine.

“One of them hit me with a pan and then held a knife at my neck, they pushed Jisung to the ground, and did you see Woojin’s face? Trick question. No, you didn’t ‘cause you can’t see it ‘cause it’s covered in bruises and scabs.”

“I’d say we’re pretty even for nearly killing one of them.” Minho shut his mouth. Chan looked over to the backroom to see the door open and Jisung peeking through.

“Were they nice to you?” Jisung asked.

“They were. We came to an agreement. If we were to merge, we’d do a few of the runs for a while until the house is comfortable for all 9 of us to be in and they’ll give us a chance to redeem ourselves.”

“It kind of sounds like a one sided effort for us supposedly being even.” Minho pointed out.

“Minho, can you please stop acting like that?” Jisung told him.

“Like what?” Minho said defensively.

“Like you’re some heartless asshole. What’s so wrong about trying to find strength in numbers?”

“It’s not that I’m against the idea of it. It’s the people. First impressions are important and this one happened to be very bad. On both sides.”

“If they were nice to Channie hyung, they can be nice to us.”

“We’d be walking on eggshells for a bit but if we get together, we’ll be stronger as a group.” Chan told him. Minho didn’t respond for a moment as he thought of all the possible outcomes of them merging before he sighed and leaned back in his seat, picking the magazine up again but not opening it yet.

“I don’t even have a choice do I?”

“You always have a choice. You always have a voice. But in the end, I’m going to do what I think is best, and so will Jisung, and Woojin. And you.” Minho looked at him before opening the magazine and pretending, again, to be interested in it. 

“Hyung,” Jisung whispered for him. Chan hummed and looked over.

“Woojin is awake.” Chan walked over and leaned against the doorway as Woojin sat up and stretched his back as best as he could.

“Morning. You know you mumble in your sleep?”

“Only when I have good dreams.”

“How good was it?”

“Really good.” Woojin smiled. “Where were you just now?”

“I went to talk to Felix and his group. They’ll be willing to accept us if we prove to them that we can be civil.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Do you?”

“You tell me first, Channie.” Chan thought of how to answer.

“I do. Not just because I don’t want to choose between you and Felix but because they’re so young. All of them. I mean…Jeongin, the youngest, he’s just 17 years old. Felix is 18, I don’t know how old the others are, but they can’t be much older.”

“So, the reason you want to join with them is so you can be their hyung?” Woojin looked at him almost suspiciously, a small starting to grow on his face.

“What the hell are you smiling for?”

“Jisung-ah, looks like ‘Channie-hyung’ has a hyung kink.”

“Stop, oh my gosh!” Chan yelled as Jisung began laughing. “What is with you and saying shit like that out of nowhere?” Chan let them have a laugh, not missing the little giggle from behind him that came out of Minho.

“Can we get back on topic here? It’s kind of serious.” Woojin nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Sorry. I know you see them as kids, but that one guy sure as hell got quite an arm on him.” Woojin said as he touched his bruised cheek. “Could barely laugh just then because of this.”

“You gotta admit, you deserved at a least a little bit of that.” Woojin shrugged.

“Maybe…”

“What do you say then? Both of you.” Jisung seemed to be too nervous to answer as he looked down at his fingers. Chan decided to give him some time and looked over at Woojin.

“I’m gonna have to do some serious ass kissing for a while.”

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate that. And that you’ll enjoy every second of it since you’re such a kinky guy.” Woojin giggled.

“Nice one.” Chan scoffed with a smile before looking back over Jisung.

“You seem to be a little hesitant, Jisung-ah. Nobody’s forcing you to do anything. If you want to talk with Minho first,”

“No, u-um, no. I can make decisions for myself, too.” Chan nodded and took a quick peek back at Minho who looked indifferent, still with that magazine in his hands.

“Hyung…I don’t know how old you think I am but I’m Felix’s age.” Chan raised his eyebrows. Sure, Jisung looked young, but the fact that he was living in an apartment with Minho got him thinking maybe he was a year younger than Chan at least.

“Really? I thought you were older. I mean, you were living with Minho,” Chan pointed back towards the other.

“Yeah. I left home.” Jisung stopped himself before continuing again. “I left the place I was in. I was 16.” Jisung shrugged as tears began pooling at his eyes. “It wasn’t a good place for me to be in. And at first, I was staying with a friend and then I met Minho. Somehow, he found something in me worth loving and the rest is history, really.” Jisung let out a short, humorless laugh. 

“As much as I love him and owe to him my literal life, I’m still my own person. And I don’t want to be out there fending for myself. It was different when we were in the apartment.” Jisung was looking at Chan as he spoke but it was like he was talking to Minho.

“I want our group to merge with theirs. I think it’ll be good for us all.” 

“So, I’m my own here.” Minho said, finally giving up with the magazine.

“No one’s kicking you out or telling you you’re on your own. You’re the one who’s ostracizing yourself.” Jisung’s voice was wavering but he remained strong.

“Do you not remember what you said to me before we left the apartment? That wherever I go, you go.”

“You said the same thing to me. Don’t forget that. Why should I be the one to follow all the time? I followed you to Seoul, I followed you to the apartment, I followed you for the last 10 months when the world ended, and now when I’m asking you to follow me, you’re refusing to.” Jisung walked around Chan to stand in front of Minho.

“I never said I was refusing. Don’t put words in my mouth.” Minho sat up straighter but Jisung wouldn’t let him stand up.

“Well, you’re not exactly jumping at the occasion, are you?”

“Guys, come on. Don’t fight please.” Chan tried to intervene.

“Chan, stay out of this.” Minho held a hand out.

“I’m going with them. And if you don’t follow me,...then I’ll know how much I and our relationship really meant to you.” Jisung silently cursed the motor home for not being big enough as the only place he can walk away to was back into the bedroom where he crawled into bed to lay down next to Woojin. Chan observed Minho as he sat back once more and looked off at nothing. When he turned around and made eye contact with Woojin, Chan knew, it wouldn’t be as smooth of a transition as he had initially hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof, bb jisung isnt taking minho's shit no more


	20. OT9

It was time. After making sure that Woojin could stand up for more than a minute, they grabbed all their stuff, Chan handing Jisung Woojin’s backpack to help him get down the steps, and they walked across the street over to the house. Minho dragged his feet as he did so. Him and Jisung still weren’t speaking. Although Minho was following him, Jisung still felt hurt that it even took that long to convince him to do so.

Chan felt awkward as he knocked on the door. It felt a little too normal for things have been as of late. The door opened rather quickly and Changbin was there to greet them with a smile.

“Come in.” He opened the door wider and Chan helped Woojin walk up to the end of the hallway and Jisung tried to keep distance between him and Minho while Minho was sure to grant him that. After Changbin closed and locked the door, he walked up until he was in front of Chan and Woojin and he hesitatingly looked at the latter’s face before cringing away at how bruised and cut up his face was.

“Um, hyung…” He looked at him once more to make sure that it was okay if he called him that and when Woojin smiled slightly and nodded, Changbin continued. “Sorry for smashing your face in. Also, I’m sorry but not sorry to say that you deserved it.” Jisung and Chan snickered while Woojin tried holding in a laugh.

“You’re right. I did. You didn’t have to apologize to me, but I appreciate it. However, I do owe you all an apology for…well everything. You totally didn’t have to even let us begin to make it up to you, but I really appreciate it. I don’t think a simple ‘I’m sorry’ is good enough though, so I hope to prove to you in these days that I’m not a bad person and we can all work together pretty well.” Changbin smiled and nodded.

“Good. Um, so quick head’s up. We brought the mattresses down here and the food carts are still sitting there so there isn’t a lot of space. If you guys can take your shoes off, you can sit on the couch or on the beds.” Jisung was already taking his shoes off before Changbin could finish his sentence.

“Oh, uh, there’s food and water in these bags. Maybe I can help put the groceries away and get these carts out of the way, too, if you want.” Changbin hesitated to answer and Jisung noticed. “One of you guys can help me if it makes it better. I know you don’t trust us yet. That’s fine.”

“I’ll help.” A boy with fading red hair raised his hand as he stood up from the mattress he was sitting on. “I’m Jeongin by the way.” Jeongin stopped on the other side of the carts and gave them a big tight-lipped smile.

“Nice to meet you, Jeongin. I’m Jisung. This is Woojin and that’s Minho. You already met Chan hyung, so…”

“Yeah. Hello, everyone.”

“Jeongin, I’m sorry for scaring you and pointing a gun at you.”

“You were scared and in a survivalist mode. Can’t really blame you at a time like this, can I?” Jeongin shrugged it off. “Let’s start with this cart, Jisung-ssi.”

“Ah, hyung. You can call me hyung.” Jeongin nodded. 

“Hyung.” Jeongin said before rolling the food cart into the kitchen and Jisung followed him with two of the backpacks. He went back to collect Chan and Minho’s without making much skin or eye contact with the latter before he quickly went back into the kitchen.

“Okay, so, everyone, this is Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Felix. I’m Changbin.” A small chorus of greetings rung in the air before Chan helped Woojin take off his shoes to bring him to the couch.

“I can walk just fine you know.” Woojin pointed out. “It’s just my face.”

“Hush. Sit down.’ Woojin sighed and did that. Hyunjin walked on his knees up to the couch and pulled himself up.

“Where did you get the guns?” He asked him. Woojin looked uncomfortable as he answered.

“Found them.”

“How many do you have?”

“We have two. Well…you took one of them, I heard.” Hyunjin nodded. “Uh…Felix, right?” Felix who had since been allowed to sit up against the couch nodded slowly.

“I’m glad you’re awake. I’m really sorry for shooting you. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I truly didn’t mean to. I got startled.” Woojin looked at the rest of them. “I never had any intention to actually pull the trigger but since I did,…” Woojin shrugged. 

“I’m not angry at you, Woojin-ssi. Like Jeongin said, survival instincts and all.” Woojin nodded.

“I know we just got together, but I think we should prepare for the night time now while it’s still day out.” Chan pointed out.

“What do you mean by prepare?” Felix asked.

“Like where are we going to sleep and stuff like that.”

“Oh, yeah. We only have space for like 5 people, right now.”

“We should scavenge the houses nearby, maybe we can find some sleeping bags or something. Do we need anything else?”

“We could always use more water. Never pass that opportunity.” Hyunjin mentioned.

“Toothpaste. Please. Toothpaste.” Seungmin said. Hyunjin snickered.

“Yes. Toothpaste.”

“Got it.” Chan smiled. “I’ll go now.”

“Wait, right now?”

“Yeah. It’s only like maybe 2 or 3 right now. We got a few hours left of light. I should take advantage of it.”

“You shouldn’t go alone, Chris.” Chan looked back at Minho.

“Wanna come with me?” Minho shrugged.

“I refuse to sleep on another couch, so I guess.”

“Okay. Do any of you know this area well?”

“I kind of do. This used to be my grandparent’s house.” Chan nodded, choosing to avoid asking him about what happened to them.

“Do you know if these houses are empty or if people are in there?”

“I’m not really sure about the others but I know this house next to ours don’t have people. There’s was also a guy 3 houses down that was super into camping so there should be some sleeping bags and stuff if the house hasn’t been looted or anything.” 

“Okay. I’ll go to the camper’s house first, see what they have and on the way back, I’ll stop by the neighbor’s house.” Chan stood up and went to walk back to his shoes when Woojin grabbed his hand. Chan looked back and Woojin seemed to want to say something but remembered the eyes on them.

“I’ll walk you guys out.” Channie nodded and held Woojin’s hand as they walked back to the hallway where Chan could put his shoes back on.

“Hold on. You guys should wear jackets. Give yourselves a layer so they won’t scratch you as easily if you encounter them. I’ll be back.” Jeongin excused himself from the kitchen and ran upstairs to find them some jackets.

“Channie, can I talk to you real quick?” Woojin spoke lowly to him after Chan got his shoes on.”

“Yeah, let’s go over there.” Both of them walked over to the dining room, a wall in between them and the rest. 

“What is it Woojin?”

“First time I met you, you were begging me to let you in, running away from a few zombies and now, you’ve volunteered yourself to go on the very first run.” Chan smiled shyly and shrugged. “I should be going. I feel like the only reason you’re going instead of me is because I got myself beat up.”

“Now you’re making it sound like I’m not capable. The second and last choice or something.”

“That’s not what I’m saying, Chan. I’m just really bad with words.”

“You really are.” Chan shook his head and scoffed.

“I guess…unofficially, I feel like your bodyguard.” Woojin chuckled humorlessly. “Minho and I did the first run and we asked you to stay back and now the tables have turned. At least for me.”

“I’m the bodyguard this time.”

“Yeah. Even though, I got few more inches on you.” Woojin put his hand above Chan’s head and then set it down on top of his hair.

“Ya, I’ll get everyone a bed but you if you keep that up.”

“What kind of bodyguard are you, being all threatening and shit?” Chan rolled his eyes but laughed as Woojin giggled.

“Be careful, okay? Minho’s a bit on edge so he might not be as careful. You need to lead him.” Chan took a deep breath.

“I’m not much of a leader, if I’m honest.”

“I think you are. Because of you, we got a place to stay. At least for now.” Woojin smiled at him warmly. They stood there staring at each other a little too long before Woojin put a hand on his shoulder. “Um, don’t forget like, blankets and stuff.” Chan’s smiled faltered a bit, but he quickly covered it up.

“Yeah, of course. We should bring the backpacks to stuff them in there.”

“That’ll be smart.” Chan nodded and walked over to the kitchen.

“Jisung-ah?”

“Mm?” He turned around after putting two of the boxes of cereal in a cabinet.

“Are the backpacks emptied out yet? I need them all for the trip.”

“Oh, these two are. Let me empty the others.” Jisung handed him the two empty ones and Chan patiently waited for him to finish dropping all the water bottles into the sink and the rest of the food onto the counter.

“Here.”

“Thanks, Jisungie. I’ll bring Minho back safely. I promise.” Jisung nodded but other than that, he didn’t say anything else before he continued putting the food away.

“Channie hyung?” Chan heard as he walked back to the hallway where Woojin, Minho, and Jeongin were waiting. 

“Here. It’s a leather jacket. Figured it’d be thicker and harder to get through.”

“It will also be harder to move. This doesn’t have any wiggle room.” Minho said, already with his jacket on and struggling to stretch his arms forward.

“Better than being bitten or scratched.” Jeongin pointed out. Minho fixed the jacket on his shoulder and accepted the backpacks that Chan held out for him. 

“Thank you, Jeongin. We’ll be back soon, okay?” Chan said as he put on the jacket. Jeongin and Woojin nodded and after getting the gun from Changbin’s hands after he came by to hand over, he was going out the door. Minho on the other hand, took his time. It felt weird, leaving without doing what he usually would do. He looked past, Changbin and down the hall. He couldn’t see into the kitchen from where he was, but he was hoping that with the sound of the front door opening that Jisung would come running out of the kitchen to see him out. But after waiting a moment, Minho realized he wasn’t going to. He really was upset with him. After making accidental eye contact with Woojin and seeing his eyes looking at him with pity, Minho left the house, slamming the door on his way out.


	21. Chan/Minho

“Not so loud next time, huh?” Minho rolled his eyes as they both walked down the sidewalk. Chan was looking around profusely while Minho only focused on what was in front of him.

“Do you know which house it was?”

“Jeongin said it was yellow with a brick red door.”

“Brick red. Just say red. What’s wrong with people trying to make colors descriptive?”

“Well, brick red is slightly darker than regular red. It just helps you—”

“Okay, I wasn’t actually asking, Chan.” Chan sighed.

“Whatever. Let’s just make this quick. We still need to go to one more house.” Chan walked up to the yellow house first. 

“Keep an eye out.” Chan pointed towards the street and Minho turned around and kept watch. Meanwhile, Chan looked through the foggy windows. There was no light inside whatsoever and it looked slightly messy yet barren at the same time from what he could see. He then decided to knock on the door, half to see if someone would open it or if a zombie would slam against the door to let them know what to expect going in. But when nothing came of it, Chan took a deep breath and readied his gun.

“Okay. Minho, try opening the door slowly.” Minho stood in front of Chan but off to the side to give him space to shoot if he had to.

“You sure you can handle that gun, Chan?” Minho asked him after seeing his shaky hands.

“Just open the door.” Minho did as he was told and tried the doorknob. Luckily, it was open. 

“Okay, ready?” Chan nodded and Minho opened the door quickly, the complete opposite of what Chan asked him. The first thing Chan saw was a walker at the end of the hallway and Chan had barely any time to think before it snarled and ran towards him. Chan froze. Of all the times he could freeze, now wasn’t the best. When the walker got uncomfortably close, Minho realized Chan was in too much shock to do anything, so he took manners into his own hands and drew the pistol he had and shot it.

“What the hell was that, Chan?” Chan gulped and dropped the gun down to his side.

“I froze.”

“Yeah, I fucking realized that. You’re supposed to protect yourself but most importantly, we’re supposed to protect each other. How can I count on you when you freeze with the biter being a good enough distance away from you like that?” Chan dropped his head. Minho noticed movement in his peripherals and when he looked, a few walkers rounded were heading in their direction from in between two houses.

“Shit, go in. The sound attracted a few biters.” Minho grabbed Chan’s shoulder and shoved him into the house and shut the door, locking it. “There may be more walkers in here. You can’t freeze if you see one, okay? The next one might not give me enough time to save your ass.” Chan felt frustrated with himself. Why does he keep freezing up? It’s not like it’s his first time encountering one or killing one either. Minho carefully walked through the house.

“We should use knives though. Preserve our bullets unless we really need them.” Minho said as he walked towards the kitchen. “I think the downstairs is clear.” Chan followed him and accepted the knife that Minho handed to him before he took out his own that he still had tucked in the back of his jeans.

“Are you actually ready this time?” Minho said before gesturing towards the stairs, insinuating that they would need to go up it to clear the house first.

“I think you should go first.” Minho sighed.

“If it makes you feel better.” He said without any feeling and began heading towards the stairs. Minho was purposely loud, hoping to draw them out and give them enough time to prepare if they hear them coming first. But nothing else came out.

“Check every room. Don’t hesitate this time, Chan.” Chan rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I get it.” Minho took the first room on the left while Chan walked into the room on the right. The door was already wide open, so he already knew it was empty. Still he checked it. Nothing. Nothing was in the room Minho checked either. So, they moved on to the next ones. Chan had already entered the second bedroom when he heard a thud and a yelp.

“CHAN!” Chan cursed and ran out into the hallway to see Minho on the floor in the room at the end of the hallway with a walker on top of him and another about to fall on top of him. Chan didn’t think twice before aiming and shooting the one on top of Minho in the head, making everything splash on top of Minho’s face and chest. Chan then ran down the hall and stabbed the remaining zombie in the head then kicking it away to retrieve the knife.

“Minho,” Chan was panicked, hoping and praying to every entity out there that Minho wasn’t bit or scratched. Chan removed the zombie off of Minho to reveal him panting and slightly panicking.

“Were you bit? Scratched?” When Minho didn’t answer him, he asked again.

“Minho! Were you bit or scratched?” Minho scoffed with a smile.

“That damn kid was right. Leather jackets are better than regular ones.” Minho lifted his arm to reveal teeth indents on his forearm, but it wasn’t deep enough to even tear the leather or touch his skin. Chan let out the biggest sigh of relief he’s ever let out. Minho let his arm drop back down.

“You didn’t hesitate.”

“Yeah, all I saw was Jisung wringing my ass for letting you turn.” Chan said, hoping to cover up the fact that he basically went into protective mode and acted without thinking. But when Minho’s demeanor changed to something of a panic, Chan knew Minho was putting up a façade.

“Minho? Are you okay?” Minho closed his eyes and tried to hold back his emotions. “Minho?”

“If I had gotten bit, hell if I just died right now, the last thing I would have said to Jisung, the last conversation we would’ve had is a fight, and him doubting that I really love him.” Chan shifted to sit down instead of kneeling.

“You need to talk to him…and apologize.” Minho shook his head.

“He didn’t even see me off. We’ve had arguments before, back at the apartment and no matter how angry he was with me, every time we stepped out of that place, he hugged me and kissed me and made me promise to come back in one piece. This time…nothing.”

“You didn’t go to him either, though.” Minho looked over at him. “Minho, a relationship is a two-way street. This is part of the reason why Jisung is mad at you. ‘Cause you expect him to do everything for you.”

“I gave him extra rations when we ate, always cooked and cleaned so he didn’t have to and now I’m out here risking my life for some sleeping bags. It’s not like I do nothing for him.”

“The thing is he doesn’t expect you to. Back when you were getting the guns, Jisung was going to come after you. I couldn’t even hold him back. He’s not the kind to sit back and let you do all the work for him and pamper him when you get back. You should know that about him since you’ve been together for like 2 years? And I’ve only known him for a day and a half and I’ve already realized this.”

“So, what you’re saying is I’m the complete and utter asshole for wanting to do things for him?”

“No, I’m saying you’re a complete and other asshole for being so controlling. You never let him do anything and you’re making him feel useless. Newsflash, he’s not. But he either loved you too much or was too scared to stand up to you. Except for now. ‘Cause he knows he has other people to rely on now.” Minho didn’t expect to be so hurt by that last part. But, it was true. Before, Minho was all Jisung had. Now there were 7 other people he could potentially drop Minho for.

“You’re right.” Minho nodded before slowly sitting up. Chan watched as he stood up and walked over to the bed to use the sheets to clean off his face. Chan wanted to ask him if he was okay. He really did. But then Minho picked up his two weapons that he dropped.

“Room’s clear. Let’s keep going.” With a red stained face and still bloody neck, chest, and hands, Minho walked out of the room and went back down the stairs. Chan sighed. He probably just made things worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my mom woke my up at 6 in the morning to tell me I had a dentist appointment at 11.
> 
>  
> 
> It is 1:45 am and I'm tired but if I go to bed I won't sleep until 4. can my body stop lying to me?


	22. Jisung/Minho/Felix

“That’s the second shot we’ve heard now.” Felix said. They all migrated to the dining room to wait for Minho and Chan. The table sat 8 and Hyunjin rested his feet on one of the extra chairs. Jeongin and Jisung were still unpacking the food and water but when they heard the first gunshot, Jeongin joined them in the dining room while Jisung tried to distract himself with the food.

“If there was a second one then that means they’re still okay. Probably just saw a biter.” Hyunjin mentioned.

“Should we go check?” Jeongin said after a while.

“No. If they’re not back in 15 minutes, though, maybe.” Jeongin nodded, hoping they would be back before then.

“Let’s play a game, guys. We should distract ourselves.” Woojin said.

“There’s only Uno and regular playing cards. Only one deck so it won’t really be fun.” Jeongin said and Hyunjin sighed.

“We gotta get more games.” He said and Seungmin agreed.

“Well, what if—” Changbin began but then another gun shot rang and it was closer. 

“Everybody, down.” Woojin said. He ignored his throbbing face and picked up Hyunjin to put him down quicker. As they all laid down on the ground, Woojin crawled over to the window and snuck a peek through the blinds. He looked around, not really seeing anything unusual until he saw the blonde head of hair running down the sidewalk followed by Minho.

“It’s them. Get the door.” Changbin stood up quickly and with Jeongin’s hammer in hand, he opened the door and a few seconds later, Chan and Minho ran in with full backpacks and hands full with things. Minho held the pistol in his hand while the rifle was hanging around Chan’s torso.

“Tell me all those gunshots were from you.” Woojin asked Chan.

“They were. All walkers.” Minho responded for Chan before dropping all the bags he had including the duffle bag that he took from the house that was full of miscellaneous things. “Dude had a loaded garage with all kinds of knives and ropes and shit. Found 5 sleeping bags and a few cots that we’re going back for. Also found some toothpaste. One brand new and one half used.”

“Oh, and,” Chan reached into one of the backpacks and brought out a Jenga box. “This is the only game I found. I figured it would be nice to play some games.” Jeongin seal clapped as he walked around the table to retrieve the game.

“Thank you! Oh my god. I was so tired of Uno.” Seungmin said with brought out a laugh from the majority of them.

“Is that blood?” A voice said from the other room. Chan, Jeongin, Changbin and Minho turned to look at Jisung standing in the entryway of the living room and the hallway, staring at Minho. Minho didn’t respond. Instead, he dropped the bags he was holding and set them on the ground.

“I’m going for the cots now. Are you coming?” Minho asked Chan. Chan seemed to not know how to respond with how tense the air has gotten.

“Fine. I’ll go myself. There were only 3 anyways.” Minho turned around and opened the door and that’s when Jisung sprung to action.

“Minho! Hyung, give me the gun.” He turned to Chan.

“Jisung, I don’t think—”

“Give me the gun or I’ll just go out there without anything.” Chan sighed and dropped his bags too to bring the strap of the gun over his head and handed it over to Jisung.

“Try not to shoot unless you have to.” Jisung hardly nodded before he ran out and followed Minho who was already halfway to the house. When Jisung got to him, Minho barely spared him a glance.

“Go back. I can carry them myself.”

“And with what hands will you protect yourself with?” Minho sighed and stopped trying to convince him. He knew Jisung wouldn’t let him go alone. “We’ve done this before, remember? Looted other places.”

“Those were apartments and it was contained.”

“So, now there’s an even bigger reason for you to not go alone since everything isn’t as contained.”

“Whatever. I’m done arguing with you.” Jisung scoffed as they approached the house. Minho walked in, leaving the door open for Jisung to follow him. Minho made a beeline for the garage where he found the cots. He began stacking them as Jisung watched from the doorway. The cots folded in half so he folded all of them and after tucking the gun into the front pocket of his jeans, he carried two in one hand and the last one in his other.

“Come on.” Minho walked up to the door but Jisung didn’t move out of the way.

“Let me carry one.”

“One of us needs to have both of our hands available. Just go. I’m right behind you.” He said as he readjusted the cots in his hands. Jisung sighed but moved out of the way for him to go. 

“You go first. I’ll cover you.” Minho didn’t question him and went ahead. He waited for Jisung to open the door and once he did, Minho didn’t wait for Jisung before he began walking back to the house. Jisung glared at his back as he followed him. He was going to get him to talk. He had no reason to be treating him so coldly. 

When they reached the house, it was a little loud than it normally was as they were all playing Jenga. Changbin and Felix were sitting at the end of the stairs talking until they came in. Changbin then stood up, putting a hand on Felix’s knee to do so and then helped Minho carry the cots. Jisung felt annoyed that Changbin let him but decided to let it go. After Jisung closed and locked the door, he turned around and accidentally made eye contact with Felix. The boy smiled at him and patted the now empty spot next to him.

Jisung made sure the safety was on on the gun before he set it down on top of the entrance table and went to sit down next to Felix.

“Hey. Everything went okay?” Felix asked him.

“Yeah. We didn’t encounter anything.” Felix hummed in acknowledgement.

“What about you? Are you okay?” Jisung was taken aback by the question. 

“Yeah,” he laughed nervously. “Why-why would you ask me that?”

“You seem frustrated and annoyed. Minho’s your boyfriend, right?” Jisung sighed and dropped his shoulders.

“Yeah.” Jisung looked down at his fingers for a moment. “Felix, can I ask you something?”

“Of course. Ask away.”

“Okay, um, well…theoretically, if someone you love doesn’t allow you to do certain things, is that a valid excuse to be angry with them?”

“I’d say so, yeah.”

“What if they get mad at you for being mad at them?”

“Then looks like you need to set some things straight.” Jisung sighed. Somehow he was hoping for a different, much simpler solution.

“I’m afraid we’ll just fight. And he’ll break up with me or something.”

“If that happens, I know it’s going to hurt a lot for a while, especially now since it’s not like we can’t go our own ways. But then you’ll know that he’s been holding you back or being too controlling.” Another thing Jisung didn’t want to hear. “I’m sorry. It’s…I don’t want to be the reason you guys fight or anything.”

“No, no. It’s not you at all trust me. I just…don’t want to be forced to be useless, you know? I might be a scaredy cat but I can’t stand just watching and never doing.” Felix nodded.

“Then tell him that.” Jisung nodded. Felix bit his lip wanting to say more. “Listen, please try to talk it out. I have no say in your relationship and how you go about doing things in any way but if you want my advice, talk it out. Don’t take the easy way out and break up. Not in this economy.” Jisung scoffed.

“What economy?”

“Exactly.” Jisung shook his head.

“I’ll try talking to him. I was kind of mean to him before. I guess I deserved the cold shoulder.”

“I don’t think so, Jisung-ah.” Jisung shrugged. Felix sighed and put a hand over his shoulder.

“For right now, let’s just…let’s just relax. Do you want to play some games?” Jisung shook his head.

“I don’t think I can at a time like this. It’s weird.” Jisung looked over to Hyunjin, Seungmin, Jeongin, and Woojin playing Jenga. “They’re laughing and playing as if the world hasn’t ended.”

“At a time like this, I think we need some good, light-hearted fun.” Jisung looked over at Felix before giving in.

“All right. Let’s go then.” Jisung stood up and offered his hand to help Felix stand up. Felix took it and they walked over to the others, not noticing a set of eyes that have been watching them from afar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeoreobuuunnnn guess who's seeing nct in 2 dayyyssss
> 
> alsoooo i'm dead ass tired at 1:30 am let's celebrate :D:D:D:D why do i always post this late  
> I got a busy weekend soooooo not sure if I'll be updating. I might write two chapters tomorrow to upload one tomorrow and the other on sunday dnsfjknglksf


	23. Changbin/Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof i love how i said this was supposed to be an woochan story so expect a bit more of woochan but then i went sike and now it's minsung central up in here but are we complaining???? yes. yes you are because i'm making minsung fite. soz fam

That night, it took a while to settle.

“This couch is useless here.” Seungmin said. “No one wants to sleep on it so we should move it.”

“But this is the living room. Where would we put it?” Jeongin asked.

“I think we should move the beds somewhere else.” Changbin suggested.

“What room is big enough to put all of them in?” Seungmin asked Jeongin.

“We can go upstairs?” Chan suggested.

“Hyunjin can’t go up the stairs and what if we need to leave quickly? Someone will have to carry him and they’ll be defenseless.” Jeongin responded.

“I’m sorry, guys. I swear I’m healing quickly.” Hyunjin looked frustratingly at his feet.

“We know, Hyunjin. No one’s blaming you.” Jeongin reassured him.

“What if we use the couch to barricade the back door? We should shove it against it.” Chan pointed towards the sliding door in the living room. “And then we can take the TV and everything else out of here since we won’t be using it. The coffee table too. We have the dining table to use. The living room will be just to sleep.” When everyone agreed, those who could went to work on removing everything unnecessary from the living room.

“We should put the tables against the door in the garage. Just in case someone tries knocking it down or something.” Seungmin suggested when they went into the garage to drop everything off. After all the door were barricaded, they went to set up the beds. 

“Okay, so the mattresses should be put together to make a giant bed. It’ll save space for the cots.” Chan said as he grabbed one of the doubles. The two doubles were put together with a twin in between them against the wall where the TV was. The other two twins that didn’t fit were put in front of the couch. Two of the cots were placed in front of the garage door and the last one was never placed since they didn’t need it.

“Okay, take your pick everyone.” Chan said before laying down on one of the doubles.

“Who says you get to take the double?” Minho gently kicked his socked foot.

“There’s another one right there.” Minho sighed but didn’t take it yet none the less. He claimed to be using the bathroom first before picking. Hyunjin walked on his knees to the twin next to Chan.

“Hyung, is it okay if I sleep here?”

“Of course.” Chan patted the mattresses and watched as Hyunjin settled down with a small smile.

“Okay, kids. Merry Christmas. Come grab your pillows and blankets.” Woojin said as him and Jisung came into the living room with the new blankets and pillows that was taken from next door. 

“Can I get two? I need to put one between my legs so my feet don’t touch.” Hyunjin said in a small voice, Woojin smiled at him and handed him three, one bed pillow and two square decorative pillows.

“Take as many as you want. We can always get more.” He said before dropping two on top of Chan. After him and Jisung went around making sure every bed had enough pillows and blankets, he went back to Chan and crawled onto the spot next to him. Chan tried biting back his smile and didn’t look at the other as he put one of the pillows under his head.

“Here. I bet it’s more comfortable than your arms.” Woojin handed him the other pillow. Chan accepted it and put it under his head. Jeongin and Jisung then went ahead and chose their beds. Jeongin chose the spot next to Hyunjin on the other double. Jisung was hoping he could take that bed with Minho but since he couldn’t now, he took the two twins in front of the couch, pushing them closer together and waited. Changbin and Felix took the two cots which left Seungmin to decide which bed to take. Jisung pointed to the one Jeongin was on. 

“I want my own bed.” Seungmin said and went to pull the bed away from Jisung’s but the latter wouldn’t let him.

“What?” Seungmin asked him.

“Seungmin-ah, take the other one. That one’s Minho’s.” Changbin told him.

“But I want my own bed.”

“Take this one then.” Hyunjin sighed and began getting ready to crawl again. Jeongin shifted to the other side of the mattress so Hyunjin would just have to roll over.

“I don’t want to be in the middle, though.”

“Seungmin, now’s not the time to complain. We have mattresses in a safe house with plenty of food and water. Stop complaining.” Changbin snapped. The room was quiet and awkward until Minho flushed the toilet and came out into the tense area.

“What’d I miss?” Seungmin sighed and took laid down on the mattress on his stomach next to Hyunjin and Chan, ignoring the blanket at the end of it. 

“Let’s go to sleep, Minho-ssi.” Changbin said to him before laying down on his cot. They were a little smaller than the twin mattresses but he didn’t mind, especially since his cot was close to Felix’s. Jisung was unfolding his blanket, trying to seem distracted as he waited for Minho to lay down. It felt like hours before Minho finally did. Jisung was already lying down on his right side with the blanket covering him when Minho even got to the end of the mattress. Minho grabbed one of the blankets just to put it back down and he laid down on his back, staring at the ceiling. Jisung looked at his profile for a moment before closing his eyes. Now probably wasn’t a good time to talk to him. He’ll wait until morning.

 

At some point throughout the night, Felix woke up. His back was aching and his arm was hanging off the cot. Felix tried turning over to see if it would be more comfortable, but it wasn’t. He sighed and sat up. He looked at everyone, light snoring coming from different directions. Minho’s blanket was on Jisung, Chan’s head was on Woojin’s chest, Seungmin’s arm had outstretched towards Hyunjin and Jeongin wasn’t quite spooning Hyunjin but he was real close to him. Felix wanted someone to cuddle. He was always a cuddly person. He couldn’t even cuddle Changbin because the cots wouldn’t let him. Felix looked around the room once more before his eyes landed on the sleeping bags on the floor in the hallway. Those would be better than the cots, he’s determined. So, as slowly and quietly as he could, he got up, taking the blanket and pillow with him and walked over to the sleeping bag. He picked it up and realized that if he wanted to unroll it, it would make enough noise to wake at least one of them up. So he waddled over to the dining room but didn’t find a spot that he felt comfortable laying down on so he decided to go for the upstairs. It seemed to all be carpeted since the stairs were carpeted also. And he quickly found out the rooms were too.

He chose the first room he saw. It felt empty now that it didn’t have the mattress on the bed frame but there was a comfortable space for him to sleep in front of the window. He set down the pillow and blanket and got to setting up the padded sleeping bag. Just as he dropped the pillow on top of it and was about to get in, he held small thuds coming up the stairs.

“Felix?” A voice called out for him softly. Felix didn’t say anything back, instead waited for them to peek into the room.

“There you are.” Changbin said with squinting eyes. He looked so adorably tired that Felix couldn’t stop himself from giggling. 

“Why did you get up?”

“I couldn’t find you. I got worried.” Changbin straightened up his shirt. “Why are you up here with a sleeping bag?”

“The cots are really uncomfortable. And small.” Changbin nodded. 

“Yeah, my neck really hurts, too.” He said, trying to massage his own neck.

“Do you want to sleep up here with me?” Changbin looked down at the sleeping bag and then back at Felix before nodding. “Okay, cool. Um, I’ll go get you the other sleeping bag.”

“No, I’ll get it. You go lie down. I’ll be back.” Changbin left to do just that and Felix chose those few seconds to smile hugely to himself. He quickly got inside his sleeping and determined that it was a thousand times more comfortable and warm in there. He brought the blanket closer to him and sat up to spread it on top of the sleeping bag when Changbin walked back it.

“Is it better than the cots?”

“Hell yeah.” Changbin chuckled. 

“Good.” Felix watched as Changbin set up his own bag next to Felix, barely even thinking twice about how there wasn’t any space between them until Changbin went in.

“Oh yeah, this is so much better.” He said before laying down. Felix grabbed the blanket on Changbin’s other side that he left and spread it on top of Changbin.

“Thank you, Lix.” Felix smiled at the nickname and lied back down on his right side to avoid the wound on the left side of his head. Felix shuffled with the blanket until it was properly all the way up to his chin. Once he was settled, he realized that Changbin has been watching him the entire time.

“Quit staring at me.” Felix whined.

“Sorry, can’t help it. You’re too cute.” Felix squealed and hid his face in the blanket. “No, stop. You have freckles. I just noticed.” Changbin pulled down the blanket with one hand and with the other he touched his cheeks. “Wow…” Felix blushed but didn’t stop him. Changbin rolled over onto his side so he face Felix properly.

“You’re so pretty,” he whispered. Felix didn’t know how to respond. Does Changbin like him? Like that? Felix brought his slightly shaky hand up to Changbin’s, the one that was still holding onto the blanket and held it, intertwining their fingers. Changbin didn’t complain. Instead, he took his hand away from Felix’s face and made sure the blanket was properly on Felix before wrapping his arm around him.

“This is so much better than the cots.” Felix laughed, not expecting that to be the next thing he said but of course he agreed. This really was way better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, i didn't write anything until just now. i had to go babysit and i remMEMbered. i can't leave my homies hanging when i promised at least one (1) chapter so i stuffed my laptop in my bag and produced this changlix chapter for y'all.


	24. Jisung/Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before i knock tf out, here's this chapter :D:D:D

Jisung woke up feeling extra warm. An added weight on his body felt extremely comfortable. When he opened his eyes, he saw his boyfriend still sleeping on his face but his face was turned slightly towards him. His mouth was slightly open and one of his legs was bent at the knee with his foot flat on the mattress. He looked so ethereal. He always did but the slits of light that went through the blinds really accentuated his visuals.

Jisung remembered when he first met him. His hair was its natural dark shade of brown and his face was way chubbier than it was now but he still had the same vibe that he did now. A confident but shy, energetic but lazy kind of cool guy vibe. He remembered the first time they kissed. Minho was a naturally flirty guy so as much as Jisung liked him, he tried to downgrade what it meant when Minho would flirt with him. It meant nothing. The other day Minho lowkey flirted with an elderly woman. Why should Jisung think he was special? But then Minho held his hand, told him that he had cute cheeks, told him that he was the perfect height for Minho to hug him and hold him to his chest, told him that he swore Jisung was his soulmate, told him that he was lucky they found each other. 

Jisung remembered the first time they kissed. It caught him by surprise. It wasn’t like it was in the movies where Minho took him out to someplace special, told him something sweet and nice, then stopped him, stared into his eyes and then did all sweetly. No. Jisung had cooked breakfast that morning. As he handed the plate over to Minho, he leaned down and plopped one right onto his mouth. 

“Thank you,” he said. With that stupid smile that bordered onto a smirk. Jisung remembered being so angry and frustrated that he went to his room with his plate of food and cried. Why would he play with his emotions like that? He kissed him and walked away like it wasn’t something they should talk about or like it didn’t or couldn’t mean anything more. He avoided Minho for the rest of the day, didn’t leave his room except for when he desperately needed to pee. He didn’t even stop by the kitchen for food knowing that it was wide open for Minho to see him, plus he’d need to walk past him to do so. No, he wasn’t going to risk it.

Except, when he left his room once to use the bathroom and when he finished, Minho was outside waiting for him.

“Jisung-ah…sorry.” Jisung scoffed and tried brushing past him but Minho caught his arm.

“Wait. Talk to me, please. We usually hang out on my days off.”

“Yeah, but you don’t usually kiss me like it’s something roommates normally do.” For the first time, Jisung saw a vulnerable side of Minho.

“Just roommates? Is that all we are?” Jisung hesitated in responding.

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean…like we’re not even friends or something? Just roommates?” Minho didn’t look at Jisung in the eyes. He felt awkward.

“I guess we’re friends. That still doesn’t make it okay for you to do that.”

“I thought you would like me to.” Jisung was even more confused now.

“Huh?” He said with furrowed eyebrows. Minho sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. Why can’t he just say what he feels? Ever. He could never just say it.

“I…Damn it. I like you, Jisung. I thought you liked me too.” Jisung was shocked.

“What?”

“Okay, I misread the signals. Don’t have to shove it in my face any more.” Minho went to walk away but Jisung quickly walked around him and stood in front of him.

“No, you don’t get to walk away after dropping a bomb like that. You like me?”

“Fuck. Yes! Okay, I do.” Jisung looked into his eyes for a few seconds too long to be comfortable before he smacked him on the shoulder.

“Asshole!” Minho yelped silently and held his shoulder.

“The hell was that for?”

“If you thought I liked you, why would you do it like that?”

“What do you mean? I thought you knew I liked you back.”

“What have you done to make me think that?” Minho looked almost offended.

“What haven’t I done? I-I compliment you, I hold your hand, I even bought you that microphone that you’ve been wanting,” Minho pointed towards Jisung’s room where the microphone lived.

“Minho, you flirt with everyone you meet. How was I supposed to know it actually meant something?” Now Minho was really hurt by that.

“I don’t flirt with everyone.” He said softly.

“Yes. You do.” 

“Really?” Jisung nodded. “Fuck,” Minho sighed. “I’m sorry, Jisung. I don’t mean to. But I mean it when I say I like you. A lot. I’m not good with emotions and feelings and shit. I’ve never liked someone this much..,” Jisung felt butterflies on his chest. 

“Well, I’ll tell you that’s not how you do it.”

“How do I do it, then?” Jisung didn’t know how either. He’s never been in a relationship before, he’s never admitted to someone that he liked them either. So he decided to do what Minho did, but better. He threw his arms around Minho’s neck and kissed him. Minho barely seemed shocked as he wrapped his arms around Jisung’s small waist and kissed him back. Kissed him like they’ve done it before. Kissed him like he’ll never be able to do it again. Kissed him like he loved him. When they pulled away, Jisung was too shy to look at his face so he hid his own in the crook of the older’s neck.

“You know…I’m only 16.”

“Bold of you to assume that _that’s_ all I care about.” Jisung blushed even more as if it was possible.

Jisung learned that it really wasn’t all that he cared about. Minho waited for him without even acting like he was waiting. Minho didn’t even let them do anything when Jisung turned 18. Minho never told him but it was really because he wanted it to be more special than just birthday sex for their first time. 

Their actual first time was magical. It was awkward and nervous at best but Jisung wouldn’t wish for anything to have gone differently.

Now, as Jisung stared at his sleeping boyfriend, he wished he could go back. Back to when things were simpler and when Minho still loved him like that. 

 

Chan was the first one to get up in the morning. He cracked his neck before looking down at Woojin. His arm must be dead asleep because of Chan sleeping on it. But Woojin never pushed him off. As he stretched some more he looked around the room and noticed that Changbin and Felix weren’t in their cots. Chan didn’t think much of it and got up after finishing his stretches. He turned around to make sure that the blankets were still covering Woojin before he went to investigate.

They weren’t in the kitchen, the bathroom light wasn’t on, and the dining room only had the remnants of their Jenga game so his last guess was upstairs. He found them there in the first room on the right, holdings hands and cuddling as best as they could in their own sleeping bags. Chan smiled and after staring at them for a while longer he went back downstairs. He looked back at the rest and noticed that Jisung was awake. Chan waved and Jisung brought his little hand out from the blanket and waved his fingers. Chan motioned for him to come to him and Jisung did. Chan watched him throw the blankets off of him and that’s him and Chan noticed that there were two on him. Jisung took the lightest one and put it on top of Minho knowing that he wasn’t a fan of being too warm and then turned to go to Chan.

“Morning, Jisungie.” Jisung gave him a tight lipped smile.

“Morning, hyung.”

“Did you sleep well?” Jisung shrugged.

“Wasn’t bad. I’m grateful for the mattresses.” Chan nodded. 

“Yeah, can’t remember the last time I slept in one.” Chan glanced over at Woojin once more. “How are you?” He asked Jisung. Jisung looked taken aback by the question.

“What do you mean? I’m fine.” He tried laughing it off.

“If you don’t want to talk about it with me, that’s fine. I won’t force you. But I’m always here if you need me, okay?” Jisung swallowed as his throat felt like it was closing up.

“Thank you, hyung. I’ll keep that in mind.” Chan nodded and smiled sadly at him. 

“Okay.” Chan put his arm around Jisung and led him to the kitchen.

“What do you think we should have for breakfast?” 

“There’s a lot of Choco cereal. There’s also some canned food that we can eat. It’s not really breakfast food but I don’t we’re in the position to be picky.”

“You’re right. Man, now that we’re nine, we’re really going to have to be careful with the food or we’ll run out quick.”

“Yeah…we can hunt?” Jisung suggested.

“You ever hunted before?” Jisung shook his head and Chan sighed. “Me either. Canned food it is. I think Felix isn’t going to want the cereal though. I remember he was so obsessed over it, even back in Australia.” Chan smiled at the memory.

“Hyung, how come you moved here, to Korea?” Chan shrugged.

“If I’m honest, I wanted to pursue music. I thought that if I did it in Australia, no one would listen to it. Kpop was becoming popular and I didn’t speak a lot of Korean at the time so I had to learn a lot more but once I did, my music just…I don’t know. I thought it’d be harder since I was writing lyrics in my second language or a language I just learned but it felt more important. Like the words meant more than anything I could write in English. Does that make sense?”

“Mm…I think I know what you mean. I wish I could listen to it.”

“I wish I could too.”

“Can you sing some of it to me?” Chan chuckled nervously.

“Nah, I kinda forgot most of the lyrics anyways.”

“Then sing any other song to me.”

“Maybe one day. For right now, let’s get breakfast situated.” Chan said after grabbing an off brand can of food.

“I’m holding you to that, hyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg yall nct did T H A T bruuhhhhh i hated the venue but they were so goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood


	25. Changbin/Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're going ✈️ changlix hours

Changbin woke up to something he didn’t think he would for a long time, if not, ever. The sound of laughter and chatter coming from downstairs. The sound of chairs scraping the floor as people pull them out to sit on them. Then the sound of plates and utensils being used. Changbin for a moment felt like he was back at his family’s house, waking up in his twin bed with his purple strip lights still on.

But then when he opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a freckled sleeping boy, he remembered everything. Then he forgot it all. All he could see was Felix. It was odd, Changbin thought. He’s never liked a guy like this before. At first, he thought it was because this is the first attractive guy around his age that he’s seen since the world ended but now that he’s met several others, his ‘like’ for Felix just keeps getting stronger. 

Changbin took those few minutes to really take in the other boy. His nose twitched every now and then as he slept, his mouth was slightly open and he could tell that he was dreaming because his eyes were moving behind his eyelids. Changbin hoped it was a good dream. He gently squeezed Felix’s hand that he was still holding. It was sweaty and clammy but Changbin couldn’t bring himself to let go.

It took a few minutes for Felix to wake up but once he did, Changbin froze. Should he pretend to be asleep? Should he let go of Felix’s hand? Should he—”

“Mmorning.” Felix gave him a sleep smile before he rubbed his eye with his free hand.

“Morning, Lix.” Felix then heard the noise from downstairs. 

“Are they eating?”

“I think so.”

“Should we go?” 

“But I’m so comftyyyyy.” Changbin whined and let go of Felix’s hand just to wrap his arm around him. It was difficult to properly cuddle since they were inside two different sleeping bags but Changbin was still trying.

“Get off of me, weirdo.” Felix giggled but didn’t do anything to push him off.

“Let’s just stay here for a while. They’re so loud and it’s so early.” Changbin tried convincing him and it didn’t really take much. Changbin brought himself close enough to rest his head on Felix’s shoulder. He felt how fast the younger’s heartbeat was going and he smiled.

“Why’s your heart beating so fast?”

“H-huh?” Changbin lifted his head to rest his chin on his chest to look at him better.

“Felix,” Changbin droned out. 

“Uh, yes, hyung?”

“Do I make you nervous?”

“Why are you like this?” Felix groaned and hid his face with one hand. Changbin laughed and grabbed his hand to pull it away.

“Why? What do you mean? Answer the question.” Changbin egged him on. By now, he was hovering over him. When Felix looked at him, they both froze. It was like time had stopped. Felix felt his cheeks burn and the butterflies in his chest intensified.

“Hyung?”

“…hmm?” Unconsciously, Changbin moved closer, and unconsciously, Felix licked his lips.

“Changbin, Felix, we’re having break…fast.” Changbin pulled away so quickly, he was a few centimeters off from hitting his head on the wall. Felix looked over to the door to see Chan standing there with a smirk growing on his face.

“W-what?” Felix asked him.

“Breakfast. Downstairs. Come on, you two.” 

“We’ll be right there. Oh, uh, Chris,” Chan raised his eyebrows.

“Keep this to yourself, please?” He told him in English.

“No problem, man. If you wanna talk later, I’m here.”

“I know. Thank you, Chris.” Chan nodded before walking away. Felix was now sitting up and he was a little too nervous to look over at Changbin. Eventually, he sucked it up and looked over at him. Changbin had his pillow over his face. Felix giggled.

“Binnie hyung, let’s go eat. I’ve been craving that Choco cereal since the world ended.” Felix hit what he thought was his stomach but the way Changbin reacted let him know he was a few inches. He yelped and curled in on himself, turning onto his side.

“Oh, my god, I’m sorry!” Felix yelled and took the pillow off of Changbin’s face.

“I’m sorry, are you okay?” He kept asking him. Changbin got rid of his worries but laughing. 

“Fuck, that hurt. I’m okay, though. I promise. Go, I’ll be right down.” 

“Are you sure?” Felix said, pounding a fist on Changbin’s back to help with the ache. 

“Yeah, I’ll be right there.” Felix sighed but nodded. He began unzipping his sleeping bag to make it easier for him to get out. Before he stood up, though, he quickly leaned over Changbin and pecked his cheek. He forced himself to not just get up and run away.

“I’ll save you a spot.” And then he ran away. 

 

“You know what we’re running low of? Toilet paper. You all poop so much and use up the entire roll. What’s wrong with you people?” Seungmin complained as they all sat at the table.

“We are nine people now, Seungmin. Don’t shame people for pooping.” Changbin said, spooning another bite of cereal into his mouth.

“I’m not shaming people for pooping. I’m shaming people for using an entire roll of toilet paper for one poop session. It’s ridiculous.”

“Then go get toilet paper.” Hyunjin told him.

“Oh, yeah let me just take a quick trip to the store ‘cause it went so well last time.” 

“Seungmin-ah, can we just have a peaceful morning? For once? Eat your food.” Woojin told him. Seungmin sighed and swished his fork around his can of spaghetti and meatballs from the one, the only Chef Boyardee.

“We should make one more trip to the store. There was a lot in there that we didn’t have enough space for. Like you said, we’re nine, now. We’re going to run through our resources quickly.” Changbin set. Felix’s heart sank. He was hoping for a calm few days.

“I kind of agree.” Jisung said.

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, I mean, back at the apartments, we stocked up on everything possible even if we didn’t immediately need it. Just like a get it out of the way kind of thing. But I also think that we should ration everything out. Like, even if we have a thousand Chef Boyardees, we shouldn’t eat a lot in a day.”

“Right. Maybe we should do like 5 cans and ration it out.” Chan suggested.

“Yeah. So, who’s going to go?” Woojin said. When no one spoke up, Changbin raised his hand.

“I already know my way there.” Jeongin sighed and then began raising his hand. “But not with you, Jeongin-ah.” Jeongin lowered his hand.

“Why not?” Changbin sighed.

“It’s not because I don’t think you can do it ‘cause clearly you can, but…I just think it’s better if you stay here. I can go by myself.”

“You’re not going by yourself.” Felix said. 

“Yongbok-ah,”

“Okay, first off, it’s Felix. Secondly, you’re not going by yourself!” 

“All right, all right. Let’s calm down. He’s right, Changbin.” Chan said. But before he could volunteer to go with him, someone else spoke up.

“I’ll go.” Jisung raised his hand. Chan was a little shocked and turned to see Minho’s reaction. He didn’t look too happy.

“Oh, okay. Um, not that I’m denying you or whatever but why?” Changbin asked him and Jisung shrugged.

“I just want to do something for the group. We did say we’d make it up to you. Woojin’s still hurt and Chan takes care of him the most, so...”

“All right then, when we’re done eating, we should go.” Jisung nodded and focused back on his food. 

 

“Do you have to go now? What if we wait until we’re running low?” Felix asked Changbin as he watched him gather the empty backpacks.

“Well, if we could get into that market, then anybody can. If we wait, there might be nothing left taking.” Felix wished that wasn’t true.

“And what if people are there now? Dangerous people.”

“We have weapons and we’re taking knives, too.” Changbin set the backpacks down and turned to face Felix completely, realizing just how nervous he was.

“Felix? What is it?” Changbin put his hands-on Felix’s arms before running them down to grab his hands. 

“It’s never going to get easier, is it?”

“What is?”

“Going on runs, watching you go on runs, waiting for you to come back, if you come back, always worrying whether you’re okay or not.” Felix began hyperventilating.

“Hey, hey, hey, shhhh,” Changbin let go of his hands to cup his face. Felix grabbed his wrists and leaned his forehead against Changbin’s.

“This sucks.” Felix said.

“I know, Yongbok-ah, but we’re going to come back. Okay?”

“Don’t promise me that if there’s a possibility it might not happen.”

“Fine. But I’ll promise you that I’m always going to try to come back to you.” Felix sighed.

“This sucks.” Changbin chuckled humorlessly.

“You said that already.

“Yeah, and it’s still true.”

“Um…hyung? Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, Jisung-ah, I’ll be right there.” Jisung nodded and walked back to the front door.

“I’ll get some more cereal for you, okay?” Felix smiled shyly and nodded. Changbin nodded back before leaning forward to kiss his forehead. He held it for a few seconds before pulling away and looking Felix in the eyes.

“When I come back, we should talk, yeah?” Changbin spoke softly to him. Felix once again felt those damn butterflies. He nodded again, not trusting himself to talk again.

“Okay.” Changbin kissed his cheek before showing his own cheek to Felix, waiting for him to do the same. Felix giggled but granted him a kiss on the cheek too.

“I’m going to throw up. Literal puke will come out of me if you don’t stop that shit right now.” Seungmin ruined the moment. Changbin sighed and looked over at him standing on the other side of the counter.

“Seungmin-ah, leave them alone.” Chan grabbed him by the ear and began yanking him away.

“Hey! Just ‘cause you’re older than me doesn’t mean you get to treat me like this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't forget! i had hw to do and started writing at 2am and now it's 4 and why is this my life


	26. Jisung/Changbin

“Shouldn’t it be colder now?” Jisung asked as he kicked a few rocks on the road, letting the leather jacket that Jeongin gave him rest low on his arms.

“Why do you think that?” Changbin asked him, doing the same thing with his own jacket.

“I mean, I always thought that if the world ended, it’d get colder, less dust, all that jazz. It’s hot as fuck.”

“Mm. I see what you mean. It’s only September I think now. It might be getting colder soon.”

“Do you think it’ll be really cold? It’s not like we have heating now either.”

“What, do you want to get more blankets?”

“I think we should. Maybe we can find a portable gas stove or something. Heat up some soup.”

“You’re really thinking ahead, here.” 

“That’s all Minho and I did back at the apartment. It’s kind of become a habit.” Changbin understood. Maybe he should try thinking ahead too.

“We can get some seeds, start growing fruit and vegetables in the backyard.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea! I didn’t even think of that.”

“I don’t think we’ll find all of that at the market though. We might need to go to a hardware store or something.”

“Do you know if there’s one around here?”

“We can try looking.” 

They soon arrived at the market and Jisung came up with another idea as they walked across the parking lot.

“Do you think we can find a car?” Changbin raised his eyebrows.

“We’d have to pick the lock and then hot wire it.”

“Yeah.” Jisung said like it was obvious.

“Do you know how to do that, Jisung-ah?”

“Yeah.” Jisung looked over to Changbin when he didn’t respond just to see that he was giving him a judgmental look. “Don’t look at me like that. I ran away from home. I learned how to hotwire a car.” Changbin raised his eyebrows once more.

“You’re a super interesting guy. What else are you holding back from us?”

“Not much, honestly. Oh, what about that van? I don’t think there’s a car big enough for all of us but with the van, it’ll be better.” Jisung said pointing to a minivan parked near the front of the store.

“Do you want to see if we can get in? Maybe we can put the groceries in there and drive it back.”

“Yeah, let’s try.” As they walked towards it, Jisung noticed that the one of the back sliding door was open. 

“Oh, yes!” Jisung cheered but his smile dropped when he saw the baby car seat in the back and he got to thinking why that door was open. Maybe the parent had no time to close it after they took their baby out. But why didn’t they just drive away if they needed to get away? 

“We should take that out.” Changbin said softly. Changbin went ahead and did that, setting it gently on the floor a few feet away.

“You go see if you can hotwire the car and I’ll look around, see if they have something worth using.” Jisung nodded and opened the driver’s seat door that was still unlocked and went to work. Changbin looked through the trunk from the backseats and found a few blankets and a cooler with a bunch of room temperature drinks and a little bit of water, making him think that it used to have ice and it had all melted.

“Found a cooler with some drinks and 2 blankets. Looks like this suitcase may have some clothes as well,” Changbin was cut off by the sound of the car turning on. He turned to see Jisung straightening up from where he was laying on his back in the front.

“It worked.” Jisung gave him a grin.

“Oh, good. Cause this would’ve been a bitch to carry back.” Jisung clapped and got into the driver’s seat.

“I’m gonna drive closer to the entrance so we can be quicker. Oh, and we’re lucky. This car has a full gas tank.” 

“They must’ve been ready to ditch. Something scared them away.” Changbin said. Why would you leave all of these things behind, clothes, drinks, blankets, car full of gas; it was weird. And where are the keys if they left so quick?

“Okay, come on. Let’s be quick. Grab first what we need and bring it to the car and then we’ll come back for more.” Jisung told him after he reversed the car so the trunk was facing the entrance.

“Okay. Do I leave this door open?” Changbin asked, pointing to his side of the door.

“No, I’ll just open the trunk window. We’ll just throw the things in through there.” 

Soon, they were throwing every roll of toilet paper into the trunk along with a bunch of other personal hygiene products that they found.

“Okay, now, the bags.” Changbin said, taking his backpack off to put it on backwards. 

“Let’s just take everything while we’re here. Now that we have a car, let’s just load it up.” Jisung said, taking a cart and began going around.

“Fine but start out with important things. Like medicine and shit.” Changbin told him before getting a cart of his own. He made sure to take all the leftover Choco cereal and then some, not really worried about the expiration date and then went to look in the outdoor section. They had some outdoor furniture but they barely had anything to do with growing a garden. Changbin sighed. They’re going to have to go to a hardware store.

“Hyung!” Changbin perked up, hearing running footsteps getting closer to him and he half expected to see Jisung and a zombie going around the corner but instead, a grinning Jisung came around holding a few board games in his arms.

“There’s so many! There’s Twister and Monopoly and so many. Can we get them?” Changbin chuckled.

“They’re free, aren’t they? Get as many as you want.” Jisung thanked him for some reason and then ran back to put them in his cart. Changbin shook his head in amusement and then continued going down the aisle. 

After spending a good 20 minutes going up and down the aisles, making sure that everything worth taking was taken, they loaded up the trunk so full that some things had to go in the front. After that, Jisung got in the driver’s seat and Changbin got in the passenger. Jisung once again started up the car and then looked over at Changbin.

“So, back home? You said we should go to the hardware store.”

“Yeah, I mean, I guess we can drive around, see if we find one and then we’ll see if we should go in now or come back at another time.”

“Okay.” As they left the plaza, they passed by two walkers. Changbin stared at them as they did so, their grubby, dirty, bloody fingers touched his window as they drove by. It was quiet, as they drove. Changbin hasn’t been in a car in months and it felt weird not having to walk or run to get to places.

“There’s a McDonalds…think they’re open?” Jisung asked. Changbin rolled his eyes but entertained him.

“Let’s go through the drive-thru. Get me a McDouble.” Jisung chuckled but drove past it. 

“Oh, hey. They have a gardening section.” Jisung pointed to a market.

“Let’s check it out.” Jisung drove all the way over. 

“I think you should go, I’ll stay here, be a runaway driver.” Changbin agreed. 

“I’ll be back.” Changbin gripped onto the axe that he had left on the dashboard and walked into the open gardening section. All the plants were dead and the fans that usually would be on were off. It was a different kind of graveyard in there. He was careful as he walked all the way to the end to get to the aisles where they had soil, fertilizer, seeds, and the likes. He found a trolley and began loading up a few packs of soil after setting his axe down on top of a metal shelf.

“That should do it.” He said then looked around some more to see what would be useful. He put a few plastic vases on top of the trolley, a few bottles of fertilizer not really knowing which one would be best. Then he went to go to a different aisle. 

He froze as he saw a walker at the end of the aisle. Why didn’t he hear it or why didn’t it hear him until that moment? The walker growled as it saw him and began running towards him. Changbin, by instinct, tried to take the axe out from his belt loops but found nothing. His eyes widened as he realized he had set it down and the walker was just a few feet in front of him. He quickly ran backwards until he could turn and run over to the other aisle.

Changbin saw the axe on the shelf but just as he touched it, the walker tackled him down. He yelled as he hit the floor. It was on his back, trying to scratch him, trying to eat him. Luckily for him though, in the struggle of trying to get his axe, it had dropped to the floor. Changbin elbowed at the zombie until it gave him enough space to reach for it. With the awkward angle, Changbin wondered how he could effectively kill the thing. He swallowed his fear, and figured if he rolled over, it would give the zombie a clear shot at getting him in the face but it gave him a clear shot of getting it in the face too. He just had to go first. 

Just as he began to roll over, a whistle rang out and the zombie moved before it was smacked over the head with a metal bat. Changbin wasted no time in digging his axe into its head after it fell down next to him. He then looked up and saw Jisung with a worried look in his face.

“Did it get you?”

“No, no. You came just in time. Oh my god, that was intense.” Changbin couldn’t stand up on his shaky legs so he sat back down.

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself.

“It’s okay, hyung. Let’s just take these things and go, yeah?”

“Wait, the-the seeds. They’re in the other aisle.”

“Okay, when you’re ready, you get them. I’ll bring these things to the car, okay?” Changbin nodded. Jisung, after patting Changbin on the shoulder, rolled the trolley out to the car and began unloading the things into the backseat. Changbin eventually stood up on wobbly legs, leaned down to take his axe, and went over to the other aisle. Even though he knew it was now empty, he still peeked around the corner and made double sure. He then quickly walked through the aisles and took as many seed packages as he could, not really caring what they were. He found another plastic vase on the ground, half broken but he stuffed the packets in there and then some before jogging back out to the car where Jisung was already ready to go.

“You got ‘em?” Changbin nodded, shutting his door and letting out a deep breath.

“All right, good job, hyung. You did well.” Changbin looked over at Jisung. He put up a damn convincing front but Changbin, he’s the king of masking his feelings, and he could see that Jisung was shaken up, especially by how shaky his hands were on the wheel.

“You, too. Saved me back there. I appreciate it.”

“Fuck, someone had to.” Jisung chuckled. Changbin shook his head. 

“Take this left.” He said, Jisung followed his directions.

“Do you think we can actually make it?” Jisung asked him.

“Survive the apocalypse?”

“Yeah. I mean, we can’t survive on store food forever now that after the expiration dates, nothing new or fresh will come out.”

“Well, hopefully we’ll be able to grow the fruits and vegetables. We’d just have to live off that.”

“What about meat? Man, I’d kill for some beef or chicken.” Jisung closed his eyes and envisioned it for a moment before opening them back up again.

“Maybe, once we’re all in good health, we can move somewhere near a forest or something where we can hunt.”

“Still won’t be enough.”

“It’ll have to be.” Jisung looked over at Changbin and Changbin looked back at him. They gave each other sad smiles and Changbin turned his head just for his eyes to widen and for him to grab onto whatever he could.

“JISUNG!” Jisung turned just in time for the car to crash into another turned over car in the middle of the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> girl i failed economics. my grades aren't out yet but shiiiiiiiii i failed LOL
> 
>  
> 
> also i reaaaaaaaally wanna rewatch GoT but i'm afraid if I do, i'll lose my rhythm in writing this story ndfjksnsganofd


	27. Woochan/Changlix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sad boy times

Chan was going around the beds, folding all the blankets and making sure the pillows were nicely placed on top of them. Just because the world ended doesn’t mean they can start being snobs. He’d have to take to them about it.

“Hey, Minho’s still antsy. He refuses to leave the porch.” Woojin told him as he walked into the living room. The bruises on his face were already starting to turn yellow. 

“Hm. Don’t think we can force him to come inside. Even I’m a little worried. It’s been like 30 maybe 40 minutes? They should’ve been back by now. Jeongin said it was just a 10 minute walk to there.” Chan sighed, giving up on folding and refolding the blanket in his hands.

“I’m sure they’re fine. We did tell them to get everything worth taking. It could take a while. I’m sure they’re on their way now.” Chan nodded but he still couldn’t get rid of the feeling in his stomach that he should be out there making sure they’re okay.

“What are you thinking?” Woojin asked him.

“That I should meet them halfway.” 

“Like go out to find them?” 

“Yeah…I’m just a little nervous and I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Woojin nodded.

“Maybe take Minho with you. I’m sure he’d go with you anyways.” Chan nodded.

“Would you mind folding this for me.” Chan handed him the blanket after he stood up. Woojin grabbed the blanket but before Chan could walk away, he pulled him in for a hug which Chan immediately welcomed. He dug his face into Woojin’s neck and wrapped his arms around his torso. Woojin rubbed his back and let him find comfort in him.

“I know you’re scared but don’t do anything rash, okay?” Chan nodded which really meant he nuzzled Woojin’s neck. The older let out a giggle as it tickled him but he didn’t pull away yet. Chan smiled at the sound of his giggle and decided to do it again.

“Okay, okay,” Woojin pulled away and began folding the blanket. Chan chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder as he passed him to go to Minho. 

He opened the door to see Minho standing in the yard looking panicked.

“Minho? What’s wrong?” Minho didn’t answer him for a while.

“You didn’t hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“There was a crash.”

“I’m sure it was nothing.”

“It came in the direction they went.” Chan looked down the street but couldn’t really see anything. “I’m gonna go. I have to go.” Minho ran into the house and grabbed the rifle that was put up against the wall on the floor.

“Wait, Minho. We have to tell everyone we’re leaving. Woojin!” Minho could barely wait and after 2 seconds, ran out of the house again. Woojin walked around the corner.

“What is it? Did something happen?”

“Minho heard a crash. We’re going to check it out, okay? We’ll be back.” Chan grabbed the hammer on the entry table.

“Wait, Chan!”

“I have to go, he already ran out! We’ll be careful, I promise!” Chan said before running after Minho who was already halfway down the street. Chan quickly caught up and they went to take the first right turn just to come to a quick stop at the sight of a crashed car.

“It was a car crash?” Minho said. Smoke was coming out from the under the hood but they couldn’t see much from where they were.

“See, it wasn’t them.” Chan tried to downplay the situation but he still had a strange feeling. Minho began inching towards the car. Chan didn’t feel like stopping him because he was curious too. As they neared, they were able to see the driver hunched over the steering wheel. Once they were a few feet away, the person in the passenger seat sat up slowly. Minho pointed the gun, thinking they had died and turned into a zombie but after getting a proper look at their face, they realized who it was.

“Changbin?!” Chan yelled. Changbin was still confused, not really realizing that there were people outside. He stared at Jisung’s unconscious body slouched over the steering wheel and took a moment to really understand what happened. Blood was dripping down both of their heads but Changbin only paid attention to the younger’s.

“Ji…Jisung?” Changbin poked at his shoulder but he didn’t wake up. “Jisung?” Changbin tried again and that’s when he saw Chan and Minho outside of the window. Minho opened the door and didn’t know what to do with Jisung’s body. He moved his jacket aside to see if he was still breathing. When that wasn’t clear enough, he put two fingers up to his pulse on his neck. He sighed in relief when it was still going.

Changbin was startled when his door was opened to reveal Chan. Changbin felt his emotions begin to overflow and he began crying as he saw Chan’s concerned face.

 

“Hyung…” He whimpered.

“Changbinnie, are you hurt anywhere else?” Chan moved his blood- covered hair out of his face. The younger still hasn’t realized his face was bleeding. 

“Is Jisung okay? Check on Jisung.” Was all Changbin could repeat every time Chan would ask him a question. Chan sighed and helped him out as Minho struggled to get Jisung out of the driver’s seat. Soon, both boys were carrying one of them all the way to the house. 

“Minho,…” Minho didn’t pay attention to him. He was a few feet in front of him, walking a bit faster in a state of panic, trying to get Jisung back to the house as quick as possible. “Minho, there are a few walkers following us.” Minho didn’t turn around but Chan knew that he heard him. 

“Changbin-ah,” Changbin whimpered his response with a sniffle. “Look behind me. Tell me if they get too close.” Changbin didn’t respond but he looked over his shoulder and didn’t take his eyes off of the 4 zombies that he could count that were still a few ways behind them but getting closer and closer.

“Hyung, they’re gonna reach us.” Chan started walking faster but Changbin just shook his head. “Put me down. They’re right there.” Chan sighed but did just that, making sure that the half wall helped him stand well enough and turned around, gripping his hammer and waiting for them to get closer so he could smash their heads in. The one that did manage to get passed Chan, Changbin dug his own axe into their brains. 

“Shit. I think that small herd is back. We need to go.” Chan immediately carried Changbin one more time. “I’m sorry but I’m going to have to run. Hold on tight.” Changbin did that and once again, didn’t take his eyes off of the zombies and making sure they were far away enough. Soon, Chan caught up to Minho once more.

“Minho, the herd is back.” Chan was close enough to see Minho crying as he carried him.

“Huh?” Minho turned his head and saw the zombies. “Shit.” 

“Go, quickly. I got your back. Just get him to the house.” Minho began walking faster and Chan stayed behind him, trusting Changbin’s judgment to keep going, that they were still far away enough. 

“They’re getting close.” Changbin told them.

“We’re almost there.”

“Hyung…they’re close.” Changbin said.

“The house is right there.” 

“Hyung!” Changbin felt forced to grab the pistol that he had stuck into his pocket and shoot the one that got too close in the head. The sound of it caught the attention of the rest of the guys in the house. Woojin and Felix were on the porch when Minho got to the sidewalk.

“Where’s Chan and Changbin?” Woojin asked them but Minho was only focused in getting Jisung into the house. Woojin and Felix moved out of the way for them to go by until they heard another gunshot nearby. They both left the porch to find Chan running with Changbin in his arms and Changbin aiming at the closest zombie.

“Chan!”

“Get in the house! Now, go, go!” Chan’s arms were growing tired but he wasn’t going to stop until they were both safe. Soon, Chan was dropping Changbin onto the couch. He was so out of breath and his arms felt like spaghetti noodles. Woojin and Felix were quick to get to them.

“Changbin-hyung! Are you okay? What happened?” Felix asked looking between him and Jisung who was put on top of the double bed that Chan and Woojin had slept the night before.

“…we found a car and…we put everything in there and we drove it but…we crashed it.” Jeongin had walked over and handed cotton balls and the alcohol bottle.

“You should clean him up.” He said before taking the rest of the kit to Jisung.

“It was my fault. I distracted him. We were talking and he looked at me and…” Changbin sighed and began crying again.

“Hey, hey. It’s not your fault. And when he wakes up, which he will,” Felix made sure to say that part louder for Minho to hear. “He will tell you the same thing.” Changbin couldn’t look at anybody in the eyes, especially Minho’s. Not that he was looking over, too focused on making sure that Jisung’s chest kept going up and down.

“Hey, hyung, look at me.” Changbin couldn’t. When Felix lifted his head, he closed his eyes. They opened up however when he felt lips press against the corner of his. After a few seconds, Felix pulled away. “It’s not your fault.” Changbin felt way too many emotions, and once again, let them boil over. He leaned over to kiss him properly on the lips, not wanting it to stop as tears fell down his cheeks. And maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea, trying to distract himself by kissing Felix to not think of the fact that Jisung may be too injured to survive but he didn’t think about that. He just pulled away and hugged Felix to him for a little too long.

“Chan, I need to talk to you.” Woojin whispered to him. Felix watched as they both walked up the stairs, trying to make sure that no one could hear them. Felix gently pushed Changbin back and began focusing on the cut on his forehead and his nose bleed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i've given up on economics but tELLm e why when i was doing the online hw/quizzes for all the chapters that i missed, i never got above a D????? i even cheated and stILL GOT A D. fuck economics man


	28. Woochan

Woojin stood at the top of the stairs for a moment, waiting to see just how quiet it was downstairs to determine how loud he should speak. It was relatively quiet so when he walked into the room he left Chan, he closed the door.

“What is it?” Chan asked him.

“This is going to be hard to talk about. But…You know what happens when people die now?” Woojin sighed.

“I think I know what this is about.” Chan’s heart dropped at the realization of the situation.

“Jisung…It can’t be Minho. It will kill him.”

“Can’t be Changbin either. I’m sure we’d have to keep them apart if something happens. We don’t know how Minho will act. We can’t make the kids do it either.” 

“I’ll do it.” Woojin looked down. Chan didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to do it but he also didn’t want Woojin to do it but if the time comes, someone has to do it. “We can’t let him turn into one of those things.” 

“I’ll do it with you. It won’t be fair for you to do it alone.” Woojin nodded, still looking down. Chan moved closer and grabbed his hands.

“What’s on your mind?” Woojin shook his head.

“He’s just a kid, Channie.” Chan nodded. “What if he actually dies?” Chan didn’t know how to respond because truly, he hasn’t even thought about it. Felix has been close to death, Minho was close to death, Changbin was close to death, hell even him and Woojin have been close to it, but with Jisung, they weren’t sure just how bad he got hurt. He could have internal bleeding and they wouldn’t know, he could have major head trauma and they wouldn’t know. 

“It’s going to be really hard for all of us. Even though we all just met, we’ve bonded.” Chan’s voice began cracking as his eyes started watering. Woojin held onto his hands a bit tighter but still didn’t look up. “But we can’t think like that right now. I know Changbin’s really kicking himself over this.” Woojin didn’t respond for a while which made Chan tilt his head to try and look at him better. He saw how wet his cheeks were. Chan let go of one of his hands to cup his face.

“Woojinie, don’t cry.” Chan told him even though he began crying too.

“This shouldn’t have happened. Jisung should’ve stayed. I should’ve gone.”

“You’re still hurt, babe.”

“Doesn’t mean I couldn’t walk or run or any of that. I should’ve gone.” Woojin let go of his hand and moved away from Chan to roughly rub at his eyes just to remember they were still bruised, not helping with his point. 

“Stop. Don’t hurt yourself.” Chan grabbed both of his hands again and pulled them down.

“Fuck,” Woojin chuckled humorlessly and tilted his head back. Chan sighed and put his hands and Woojin’s behind his back so Woojin was essentially hugging him. Chan rested his forehead on the other’s shoulder and they just stood there in silence. Woojin eventually dropped his head and rested his cheek on top of Chan’s head. The peace didn’t last very long.

“Oh my god, Chris! He stopped breathing!” Chan immediately moved and he was running down the stairs before Felix even finished yelling. The whole of downstairs was staring in shock as Minho cried over Jisung’s body, not really knowing what to do. Chan hastily moved Minho out of the way and began doing what little of CPR he knows. He breathed air into Jisung’s mouth and began doing chest compressions. He wasn’t sure if he was doing it right but he had to try. He repeated the cycle a few times and just as Woojin was about to tell him to stop, Jisung breathed in deeply. His eyes opened for a moment before they closed again, appearing to have gone unconscious once again. Chan moved his ear closer to Jisung’s mouth and nose to see if he was still breathing. When he heard and felt that he was, he checked his pulse as well to make extra sure.

“He’s alive.” The room collectively let out a sigh of relief. Minho, exhausted from those few minutes, crawled on top of the mattress and glued himself to Jisung’s side, putting a hand under the boy’s shirt to leave it on top of his chest so he could feel him breathing and also feel his heart beating ever so slowly. Chan looked up at Woojin who had a look on his face that Chan couldn’t really decode. Chan looked at the rest of them and saw Felix and Changbin holding each other, trying to comfort the other even though they were both crying. Chan looked behind him at the other three, staring in concern and disbelief that they nearly witnessed Jisung dying. 

Chan didn’t know how to comfort them because he wanted to be comforted himself but didn’t know what would work. The only thing that would work is Jisung waking up and telling everyone that he was all right. 

 

Everyone was too on edge that night to properly eat. They shared 2 cans of food between each other with Minho not even looking at anything but Jisung. Hyunjin found comfort in Jeongin and Seungmin, wanting comfort, held Hyunjin on his other side, forcing the three of them to fit into the one double bed. Chan was sat on the twin bed between Seungmin and Jisung while the rest gathered around cross legged on the floor. Felix and Changbin were at the end of Jeongin’s bed and Woojin was at the end of Chan’s bed.

It was well into the night that Chan decided they should all rest. 

“Changbin, Felix, take those two mattresses. I want everyone to be together tonight.” He said. Without any protest, they took the mattresses but laid on it diagonally so Changbin could rest his head on Felix’s chest without falling in between the gap. Chan got off of the bed and looked at Seungmin before pointing at it.

“You can sleep on it. I’m comfortable here. Are you guys comfortable?” Seungmin asked the other two. They both nodded but Chan noticed how Jeongin was nearly falling off his side.

“Are you sure, Jeongin? You’re at the edge there.”

“Maybe we can move over a little, hyung?” Jeongin said above Hyunjin’s head to Seungmin. As they shuffled around to get more comfortable Chan held a hand out for Woojin. Woojin took it and then Chan led them to the cots.

“Sit. I’ll get the sleeping bags.” When Chan got to the room and leaned down to grab the pillows, blankets, and sleeping bags, he paused a moment to look out the window. It was quiet and dark outside. Not many walkers were roaming out their door but from the second floor, he could see a small fire in the backyard of one of the houses. There must be people there. They were far away enough for Chan not to really worry about it, though. So, he continued grabbing everything and with full arms, he stumbled downstairs.

When Woojin saw him, he stood up to help him, sending him a small smile when they made eye contact. 

“I think we’ll be better off sleeping on the floor in these. The cots weren’t even comfortable to sit on.” Chan nodded.

“Let’s fold them and stick them in the garage then.” The room was quiet with the exception of the two oldest trying to set up their sleeping spots. Just as Chan began sticking his legs into the sleeping bag, Minho called out for him.

“Chan…” Chan froze and looked over at Jisung, thinking that something happened to him again but instead, Jisung was still breathing and Minho, although he called for him, wasn’t looking at him.

“Yes?”

“Thanks.” Chan waited a while, thinking he was going to say more but he didn’t.

“…Yeah…” He tried thinking of more to say back but he wasn’t expecting that. By the time he thought of more to say, too much time has passed and Changbin let out a small snore to fill up the awkward silence so he laid back down. Before he had the chance to zip up his bag all the way, Woojin pushed his legs into his bag. Chan looked at him as Woojin messed with the blanket so that it covered the both of them. Once, he was done with that, he looked at Chan.

“What? You cuddled me last night. Why shouldn’t I cuddle you this time?” He said softly. Chan chuckled.

“Come here.” Chan offered him his arm and Woojin snuggled in closer and rested his head on Chan’s chest this time. Although the tension was really high that day and Chan didn’t think he’d be able to sleep that night, as soon as he closed his eyes, he was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh...i watched endgame today....and it fucked me up. I honestly didn't think I'd get to finish this chapter because of how much it messed me up so i'm sorry if it's eh...


	29. Chan/Felix/Woojin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little background on Chan and Felix

Come morning, Chan felt restless. He kept waking up throughout the night for no apparent reason. Changbin’s and Hyunjin’s small snores weren’t loud enough to wake him up, Woojin has barely moved from where he was resting on Chan, and nothing new has happened with Jisung or Minho so he couldn’t understand why he kept waking up. And on top of that, he struggled to fall back asleep every time. 

The last time he woke up for no reason, the sun was starting to shine through the curtains so he gave up on trying to fall asleep again. He laid, thinking about everything he’s experienced since the beginning of the apocalypse, how he got separated from Felix.

They were at Chan’s apartment on the first floor of a three story building. The living space wasn’t big but it had two rooms and two bathrooms, enough for the both of them. His apartment building was full of college students and relatively young people so it wasn’t odd to hear a bunch of shouting or loud talking but Felix wasn’t quite used to it.

“Chris, there’s people screaming outside.” Felix told him as he walked into Chan’s room. The older had his headphones on and trying to mix a track he’s been working on all night.

“Oh, yeah. It’s always loud, even during the day.” Chan didn’t really pay him much attention.

“No, it sounded like…like life or death or something.”

“Don’t worry about it, mate, there’s a bunch of college kids around here. They’re always—” Chan was cut off by a screech and running footsteps just outside of their front door and then growling following them a few seconds later.

“What the fuck are they doing?” Chan groaned. He didn’t think much of it just thought that they were getting way out of hand and being too much of a nuisance. Chan’s had to do this several times before where he had to go up to where the noise was coming from and tell them to shut up. So, he got up and walked over to the front door. Felix looked on from the small kitchen as Chan opened the door and looked over at the direction that they went.

When he couldn’t see anything, he looked over to the other side and saw a guy standing at the end of the short, outdoor hallway.

“Hey, can you guys quiet down out here? It’s kind of ridiculous.” The guy looked kind of weird to Chan. Maybe he was drunk or hungover or on drugs or all of the above. “Hey, did you hear me?” He asked again. Chan was confused when he saw the guy growl, literally growl, at him before sprinting towards him.

“What the fuck?!” Chan screamed before quickly going back in the house and slamming the door shut, and as if locking it wasn’t enough, he put his back to the door as the guy was pounding and still growling outside of his door.

“What was that?” Felix asked him as tears already started forming in his eyes out of fear. Chan didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t know what it was and even if he did, he didn’t want Felix to be even more scared.

“Chris, what was that?” Felix asked again. Chan shook his head and slowly separated himself from the door making sure that it wouldn’t spontaneously open if he did so and walked over to Felix. They both stared at the door, waiting for it to stop. After a few minutes, the banging stopped and the growling trailed off before another scream was heard down the hallways. “Chris?”

Chan slowly walked over to stand next to Felix, all without taking his eyes off of his door.

“Make sure all the windows and doors are locked and close the curtains.” Chan told him as calmly as he could.

“Chris?” Felix whimpered. Chan finally looked over to him to see him crying.

“Don’t worry, Felix. I’m here, okay? But go. Lock and barricade the windows.” Felix nodded and ran off to his room to do just that. Chan quickly peeked through his curtains to make sure that the lock on his window was on then let go of his curtains and pushed his desk the few inches to the right so that it was completely in front of the window. He moved over to the living room where Felix was peeking out of the curtains.

“Chris…A person’s eating another person.” There were shrubs and a few skinny trees in front of their living room sliding door for privacy but you could still see through them. 

“Felix, back away from there. Is the door locked?” 

“Yeah,” he said as he backed away from the door.

“Okay, help me move the couch.” Felix while sniffling helped him push the couch in front of the door. “Did you barricade your window?” Felix nodded. “Okay, now we have to do the front door.” Chan looked around and tried to find the heaviest things that they can use.

“The bookshelf.” Felix pointed to it. Chan nodded.

“Take the books out so we can carry it.” They quickly did so, dropping the books on the carpeted floor and soon they were carrying the shelf to the door where the screams and running footsteps were going on outside. Felix let out a small whimper as they set it down.

“Quickly. The books.” By the time they finished barricading the door, putting a few chairs and miscellaneous things in front of the shelf as well, they sat on the kitchen floor, Chan holding Felix in his arms.

“I don’t understand what’s happening, hyung.”

“I wish I could give you an answer, mate.” Chan was trying not to hyperventilate himself. He was the oldest, he had to take care of Felix, he couldn’t show his weak side.

 

They were barricaded in there for a few days. The screaming eventually stopped by the snarls and growls were always there. They had a day of panic when one of them got to their balcony. They had pushed through the shrubs and climbed over the railing and was there for a few minutes too long before they must’ve seen something else and ran. 

“We’re running out of food.” Felix said as he looked through the cabinets. After a grand total of 6 and a half days, they still had power but nothing in their fridge was made to eat alone.

“Running out as in we still have some or…”

“I mean this bag of chips is all we have.” He said as he took out a bag of snack size Lays chips. 

“Shit…” Chan cursed. “Are you hungry?” Felix took a while before nodding. “Do you think you can wait?” Felix nodded and put the chips back in the cabinet before taking another look around the kitchen for the 5th time.

Ultimately, the reason they separated was because of Chan. A knock came at their door followed by a voice telling him that it was safe to open. Felix told him not to trust them, that it was just one person and he didn’t see any official vehicle outside but they were going on day 4 without food and Chan was tired. So, he told Felix that they were safe now and to trust him. Trust hyung.

He began moving everything aside, throwing books out of the shelf to push it out of the way before unlocking the door. As soon as he opened it however, a gun was held to his head and he was told to give them every single weapon or any food and drinks that they have to him. 

“We don’t have any.”

“Lucky for you, I don’t believe you. Step aside.” Chan hesitated and just as the guy was going to yell at him, Chan grabbed one of the books still on the shelf next to him and slammed it against his head and quickly shut the door.

“Felix! We need to leave!” He said as he shoved everything back in the way.

“What? Where do we go?” A gunshot went through the front door just as Chan got to Felix in the living room.

“The balcony. We need to jump over the railing. Now! Go!” Chan was looking over at the front to make sure that they still had time as Felix pushed the couch out of the way and looked out the window. He was going really slow but he was scared. When he saw nothing around, he pulled back the curtain completely and opened it. He stepped outside and turned towards Chan.

“Let’s go. It’s clear.” He said. Tears once again were going down his face out of fear but he had to get it together to escape. But not without Chris. Chan followed him out and together they jumped over the railing. Just as they were about to choose which way to run to, the guy with the gun appeared after hearing them. They were close enough for Chan to tackle them first.

“Felix! Run!” Felix let out a sob.

“Not without you!”

“Felix! Go! I’ll find you!” That was the first time he got separated from him. The second time was the last time they got separated and they both thought it would be for good. 

They had found a few people to group up with and Chan quickly found out they weren’t good people. They had been using the two of them, instilling fear in them to basically be their slaves. They were there for a month before Felix and Chan came up with a plan to leave. They did. And they really thought they got away with it. But they quickly realized that they didn’t and they were being followed, hunted by their leader. They got separated once again. And Chan wasn’t able to go back to him.

Everyday he prayed that Felix was okay, that he wasn’t dead or caught by the same people who treated them like slaves, like they were less than human to them. That was nearly 2 months ago. And now, he had found him. Again. For the third time. Chan wasn’t going to screw it up again. He refuses. A fourth time wasn’t guaranteed and it was even less likely.

By the time the sun was fully up in the sky, Woojin began waking up. He rolled out of Chan’s arms and stretched in his sleeping bag not noticing that the other has been awake for the past few hours. Woojin laid there on his back for a few moments; Chan thought he had actually fallen back asleep. But then he opened his eyes again and looked over at Chan and was surprised to see him awake.

“Oh, good morning.” Chan smiled.

“Morning. Sleep well?” Woojin stretched for his response.

“The bed was better but I can’t really complain.” Chan hummed.

“Let’s steal a mattress next time then.” Woojin chuckled.

“Don’t say that. I’ll take it seriously.” Chan chuckled. 

“Woojin?” Chan whispered. Woojin looked over at him again. “Can we talk?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. What is it, Channie?” Woojin turned to rest on his side and used his arm to pillow his head.

“I just…I haven’t had anyone to really talk to. I’ve always felt like I couldn’t because of one reason or another. This time, I felt like because I was older than everyone, I had to be strong. But we’re the same age, yeah?” Woojin nodded. 

“Woojin, I’m scared. I’ve been scared but now I have more than just Felix to worry about. I have Jisung, Changbin, Hyunjin, Minho, Seungmin, Jeongin. I have you.” Chan’s voice began cracking as he struggled to hold back tears. “And you’re so strong. I don’t understand how you do it.” 

“Chan, I’m scared too. Remember what I said when we first met? That I didn’t want to be with people because then I’d care for them? Well, here we are. I also felt like I had to be strong. And now that you’ve confirmed that for me, I feel like I can open up to you as well. We’re all scared, babe. You’re not alone.” Chan sniffed. Woojin grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“You’re not alone, Channie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back on my sims bullshit. don't mind me
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO WE'RE ALMOST 30 CHAPTERS IN????? oof past me would NEVER.
> 
> i say past like it wasn't literally 2 or 3 weeks ago that i started this story


	30. Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE BIG THREE OH.

Jeongin was in charge of making sure that Minho ate. It was hard to snap at him so they gave him that job. But he felt like he was already failing. Minho refused to eat. The only time he got up was to use the bathroom after Woojin told him it was unacceptable that he bring a bowl to pee in so he’d never have to leave Jisung’s side.

“Hyung, thank you for drinking some water but please, can you just eat this?” Jeongin handed him a small can of sliced tomatoes. Minho closed his eyes and if Jeongin wasn’t looking at him, he’d miss him shaking his head. Jeongin sighed.

“Hyung, you haven’t eaten in 4 days. Jisung won’t be happy to hear that when he wakes up.” Minho didn’t open his eyes as he spoke back.

“If he wakes up.

“No. _When he wakes up_ , Minho. He will.” Chan told him from the other side of Jisung. Minho sighed and Jeongin was about to give up. He gave a sad look to Chan and began retracting his hand with the can when Minho reached out for it. Jeongin didn’t say anything as he passed him the can, thinking that if he spoke then he would change his mind.

“Thank you, hyung.” He eventually said when Minho sat up and took the fork and began searching for a tomato to prick at. Minho didn’t respond but Jeongin didn’t feel like he needed to. He got up and let him have his space. Instead going to sit next to Hyunjin. Changbin got up from where he was sitting next to Felix on the couch and walked up to Woojin in the kitchen trying to plan what foods they should eat next with Seungmin.

“Hyung, can I talk to you?” Woojin nodded.

“Upstairs?” Changbin nodded and then they were both going up the stairs with everyone staring at them as they did so.

“What’s on your mind, Bin?” Woojin asked him as they got to the room.

“You know that car we crashed? I’ve been thinking these past few days and…we need to get everything that was in there.”

“That’s almost more dangerous than just finding another store. The car is out in the open plus who knows if people found it or if zombies are crawling around there.”

“I know. I thought about all of that too, trust me. But if…if something happens with Jisung, I don’t want it to be for no reason. We took that car to bring as many provisions as we can and I want to bring them all here. Or at least try.” Woojin sighed.

“It’s gonna take a few trips.”

“Then so be it. I’m not going to force you to come with me but…I just feel like I owe it to Jisung. And to Minho.”

“Changbin, if you still think it was your fault, it’s not.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t think words are going to work right now. I need to do something, you know.” Woojin nodded.

“Okay. But we’re going to plan this out. To a T. We can’t risk any more people getting hurt.” Changbin nodded.

“Yeah. Also, I think the whole ‘the less people the better’ thing is proving to be a bad idea now, huh?”

“Yeah, we’ll talk about it.” 

 

Downstairs, Jeongin watched and counted how many tomatoes Minho has eaten. So far, he’s counted 2 and a half. Hyunjin watched as Seungmin and Chan counted how many cans they had of everything. Felix had taken to closing his eyes on the couch, basking in the sunlight that shone through the window. Hyunjin looked over at Jisung. The cuts on his face barely looked like they’ve been healing, Minho looked pale and almost just as lifeless as Jisung looked. Hyunjin sighed. He was tired of sitting around and seeing his friends suffer. He was over it. It’s been a few weeks now. His feet has had time to heal. He was going to start walking whether they like it or not. 

Hyunjin half expected at least Jeongin would pay attention when he started shuffling but the boy was too focused on Minho to notice that he was trying to stand up. By now, his feet were fully scabbing. It was gross and itchy. Hyunjin put on the pair of fuzzy socks that he’d normally wear at night so his toes wouldn’t get cold. After the added fuzziness, he crawled over to the couch so he could use the arm of it as leverage to stand up. He first looked around to make sure no one was there to stop him and he pressed his left foot on the ground to test it out. He didn’t feel pain as much as he just felt uncomfortable. He pressed harder then harder until he was able to stand up fully.

He smiled to himself once he was stood up properly. He stared at his feet as he carefully walked all the way over to the kitchen. Felix hadn’t opened his eyes and he wasn’t sure about Jeongin but once he reached Seungmin, Seungmin yelped in surprise causing Chan to turn and look at him in shock as well.

“What the hell are you doing? Doesn’t that hurt?” That caught the attention of everyone. Jeongin’s eyes widened and he ran over to them and put an arm around Hyunjin who had the goofiest smile on his face.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. I mean just barely but I can walk again! And it only took me 3 weeks!” Hyunjin held up 3 fingers. Seungmin shook his head but smiled at his excitement. 

“That’s great, hyung. But try not to push yourself, okay?”

“Why not? How can I get better if I don’t push it a little bit more?” Hyunjin said as he began walking around in circles. His tongue stuck out a little on the side of his mouth as he concentrated. Jeongin eventually let go of his arm as Hyunjin began walking outside of the kitchen. Felix smiled at him from where he sat up on the couch.

“Congrats, bro.” Hyunjin gave him a thumbs up and began walking towards the front of the house.

“I bet I can even go up the stairs now.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait. Maybe you should wait until you’re more healed.” Seungmin walked in front of him and stopped him. Hyunjin pouted but before he could try to change his mind, Changbin and Woojin walked down the stairs.

“Group meeting, everyone.” Woojin made eye contact with Chan and gave him a small smile. Chan was confused but went along with it. Hyunjin chose to stay stood up so Seungmin and Jeongin stood on either of his side. Chan sat on the couch next to Felix and then Changbin began talking.

“So, it’s been 4 days since…the incident.” Changbin nervously glanced in Jisung and Minho’s direction before he kept talking. He unconsciously held eye contact with Felix as he spoke.

“The car…I want to go back for it.” Felix’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Before you say anything, I know it sounds bad or something but we got so many things in there. Food, drinks, games, we even got soil and seeds to plant our own vegetable and fruit garden outside. Eventually all the food will run out or go bad. It’d be good to have the seeds. If we go back at all, that’s the first thing we’d need to get. If it’s too risky, then let it be the only thing. But…I don’t want Jisung to have gotten hurt over nothing. It needs to mean something.” Changbin decided to avoid voicing the possibility of Jisung not waking up. Felix sighed and next to him, Chan slowly nodded his head.

“Despite how soon it is, I agree. At least the seeds.”

“But we’re going to take the time to plan it out. We can have people at checkpoints so to speak. We should stop with the whole the less people the better. We work better as a group.” Woojin pointed out.

“Yeah. That’d be great.” Jeongin said, not forgetting the whole gun incident. Although they ended up being nice people, they could’ve really been savage people willing to hurt or even kill to get what they want.

“I have an idea.” Everyone turned to Hyunjin with that raised his hand all the way up.

“Oh, wha—You’re standing.” Changbin finally noticed. Hyunjin smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. Um, my feet have gotten better. And now since I can use them, I’d like to help.” Hyunjin kept taking over Seungmin who was protesting. “I think we should get another car and bring it to the first one. It was a good plan and although it failed the first time, it doesn’t mean that it’ll fail the second time. Plus, you said there was a lot. We can just transfer it to the new car.” Hyunjin shrugged.

“That’s…a good idea. But does anyone know how to hotwire a car?” Changbin pointed out. When no one spoke up, Hyunjin thought his plan wouldn’t be used.

“I can.” Minho said softly after a few seconds. 

“Do you…Do you think you can get a car for us?” Minho again took a while to respond. After choosing to stop pretending he was going to finish his can of tomatoes, he set it down next to him.

“I’ll get a car, if Chan looks after Jisung while I’m out. After that, I’m staying here. I don’t want to have any other part of this.” 

“We understand that. We won’t force you. It’s enough that you offered to get us a car. We really appreciate it.” Woojin told him. Minho nodded.

“Tell me when you’re ready. I’ll be here.” He said before laying back down and putting a hand over his boyfriend’s chest once again. The rest looked at each other and silently agreed to go over to the dining room to start planning. Hyunjin shoved the other's hands away as he walked slowly by himself. He can do this. He'll be the getaway driver if all else fails but damn it, he was going to be useful today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so...i've gotten used to the whole a chapter or two a day routine.......so much so that if I don't post at least once a day, i feel like i let yall down. so if there comes day that i don't post, i'm vv sorry. shit happens you know.
> 
> also this chapter is earlyyyy. it's only 12:51 am :D:D:D:D progress


	31. Woochan/Changlix/HyunInMin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall what is the ship name for hyunjin seungmin and jeongin???? is there one????

“Okay, everyone understands the plan?” Woojin asked, waiting for everyone to nod or for someone to ask a question.

“Okay,” he continued when everyone confirmed. “So, Seungmin and Jeongin will have the backpacks and the carts. Remember, if something happens and the carts are holding you back, let them go. It’s not worth it okay?” The two boys nodded.

“And Hyunjin, don’t be afraid to tell us if your feet are hurting. Again, it’s not worth it and we don’t to hinder your healing or even make it worse, okay?” Hyunjin nodded though he knew that he wasn’t going to admit to anything. 

“Okay. Be careful everyone.” The group let out a noise of agreement before they followed Woojin as he stood up and began grabbing everything they’d need.

Chan grabbed his shoes and began putting them on when he noticed Hyunjin standing by the door looking at everyone. His eyes trailed down to his feet and saw the socks and he realized…the kid didn’t have any shoes to wear.

“Hyunjin-ah, do you want me to find you some shoes first?” Hyunjin looked almost embarrassed as he nodded. Chan finished putting his shoes on and then stood up from where he was sitting on the stairs.

“I’ll take a look upstairs, okay? What size are you?” Hyunjin told him his size and then Chan went off to see if he could find anything. Hyunjin stood there for a few seconds, wringing his hands, not knowing what to do. Eventually, Jeongin noticed him as he was putting on his hoodie. Jeongin smiled at Hyunjin as he walked up to him.

“How are you feeling, hyung?” Hyunjin gave him a too big smile.

“Great! This is going to work. We planned it so well.” Hyunjin chuckled and clapped his hands. Seungmin looked over after hearing him clap and watched from afar at his Hyunjin tried to convince Jeongin and himself that everything would go fine. 

“Are you sure you’ll be able to drive okay?” Hyunjin nodded but didn’t give him a vocal answer.

“You don’t look too sure.” 

“I’m just nervous in general.” Hyunjin decided to drop the act. He leaned his back against the door. “What if things go wrong? I mean, I’m the getaway driver. What if I accidentally leave someone behind or if I crash the car and then all of us get hurt?” Jeongin put a hand on his arm.

“Don’t think like that. If something happens, it’s not your fault. We know what we’re getting ourselves into and the dangerous things that can happen. Sometimes we’ll have to make hard decisions.” Jeongin shrugged. He couldn’t think of any way to make it particularly positive enough to make Hyunjin feel better.

“Hyunjin, you won’t be alone in this, okay? There’s 7 of us doing this. And this is the best possible plan to get the things. If something goes wrong, then…as much as it sucks, it was meant to be.” Seungmin said. Jeongin didn’t agree with that mindset technically but Hyunjin sighed and stood up straight again, seemingly ready to execute the plan.

“Okay, so, I couldn’t find shoes your size but I found a pair of slippers. It might be a bit small on you but it’s something to wear. Maybe later we’ll find you shoes.” Hyunjin accepted the slippers and dropped them on the floor so he could slip them on. Once he did, he gave Chan a thumbs up and Chan gave him a smile before walking away to find Woojin. 

Said boy was in the kitchen checking how many bullets the two guns had and putting more if they were low. Chan walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Woojin looked over and gave Chan a little smile when he saw it was him.

“You ready?” Chan nodded.

“Hyunjin’s a little nervous, though?” Woojin nodded.

“I’m sure. I don’t think he’s ever had to do something like this, yet.”

“Let’s try to not to put too much pressure on him, okay?” 

“Wasn’t planning on it, babe.” He said, putting the chamber back into the guns.

“When did you start calling me babe by the way?” Woojin glanced at Chan before pretending to still be messing around with the guns. Chan smirked as he saw his ears turning red as he thought of a response.

“What, you don’t like it?” Is what he came up with. The difference between Chan and Woojin is that Woojin’s face doesn’t turn red, just his ears, when he gets flustered. But with Chan, his face, his ears, his neck, his chest, his whole body burns red. Like now.

“Well, I…You…” Woojin giggled as he looked at Chan.

“Oh, shut up!” Chan whined, hitting him in the shoulder.

“Or what, babe?” Woojin turned to face him properly and in result, leaned in closer. Chan gulped, the smile dropping from his face.

“Now’s not the time.” Woojin’s smile also dropped.

“You’re right. It’s a life or death situation that we’re in where the next moment is never promised.” Chan couldn’t tell if he was being passive aggressive with him.

“Yeah…” Woojin scoffed before picking up the guns. 

“Here. We agreed I shouldn’t carry one.” Woojin handed him the rifle and walked away to hand the pistol to someone else. Chan sighed. The gun was heavy in his hands. It was something he never really wished to touch again. Somehow he felt safe knowing they had the artillery but if it came to it, he didn’t know if he could protect himself with it against other people, even if they were bad news.

Back by the stairs, Changbin had joined Felix at the end of the stairs. 

“Hey.” Changbin said softly to the other boy. Felix smiled at him and took that time to look at Changbin’s face. The cut on his forehead wasn’t as bad as Jisung’s and was starting to heal with a few bruises here and there and his shoulder had stopped hurting a day or two ago. Even if he wasn’t good to go though, he still would. He had to. But he needed to talk to Felix first.

“What’s up?” Felix asked him. He could almost see the gears moving in his head.

“I know that we haven’t talked…you know about what we did a few days ago.” Felix closed his eyes momentarily, not sure how he felt at the fact that Changbin couldn’t just say what they did.

“And we’re not sure about how this is going to go.” Felix nodded, opening his eyes to see Changbin looking anywhere but him. Changbin was really picking and choosing what to say here.

“I feel like we kept telling each other that we need to talk but we never do. Something always seems to come up and we have to push each other aside in a way.”

“So, what? You came to tell me that we need to talk after this?” Changbin looked at him.

“We can talk about it now?” Felix thought about it and just as he was about to open his mouth, Woojin walked into the entrance hallway.

“Changbin-ah, you’re in charge of the pistol. Is that okay with you?” Changbin took a deep breath and nodded. He stood up to take it from Woojin’s hand and then turned back, hoping to continue that talk with Felix but said boy stood up and walked over to Hyunjin. Changbin sort of deflated and looked down at the gun. Woojin patted his shoulder.

“You guys will figure it out soon.” Woojin reassured him. Changbin didn’t respond to that, though he appreciated it. He really hoped they would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay ! so ! it's short ! i am aware ! but !!!!
> 
> i have plans. i hope. if i don't upload tomorrow it's because my plan either a) backfired b) was so amazing (to me) that i couldn't finish it yet or c) i made a beeline towards something else that makes me question everything
> 
>  
> 
> also thank you for your feedback last chapter!! and every chapter tbh i wake up in the morning and immediately check my emails to see that comments ya'll left uwu thank you!!!! ily
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO BIH I'M EARLY AF IT'S NOT EVEN MIDNIGHT but it's short so why am i tryna flex
> 
>  
> 
> edit at 3:27am the same day: NVM NEXT CHAPTER IS ALREADY READY BITCHES. I'LL BE UPDATING ON TIME.


	32. Everyone

Felix was out of breath as he ran, or maybe he was hyperventilating. He gripped his hammer as he ran through shrubs and trees, occasionally tripping slightly as his foot hit rocks or tree roots. It felt like déjà vu where he swore something was following him. Every time he stepped outside, he swore a zombie was right over his shoulder or someone, a specific someone, was hunting him down.

He began whimpering as he kept running, never stopping, never turning to look behind him. He was dead lost and he couldn’t remember what went wrong. One minute he was transferring bags of soil into a different car and the next he was being told to run. They didn’t tell him in which direction but it felt like wherever he turned, there were walkers there so he ran in the only clear direction he saw. He eventually ran into a tree line and he kept going.

He passed by a zombie that was hung on a tree, he passed by a torn tent, he passed by one cabin and only when he passed it, did he think maybe he should’ve taken refuge in there. But then he found another one. He had to rest. As he continued to struggle to catch his breath, he went up to the cabin. Maybe it was careless, maybe his mind was fuzzy with fear, but he didn’t check to make sure the cabin was secure before he ran in and shoved the first thing he saw in front of the door. But when he turned around he yelled when he saw something standing there. But then he began crying when he realized who it was.

 

Hyunjin’s heart was beating fast and he yelped every time he hit a walker or a walker hit the car. 

“Can you go faster?” Jeongin whined from the passenger seat as he leaned away from the window.

“I’m trying. But I don’t want to lose this car if I use it to hulk smash all of these fucking zombies.” Hyunjin began swerving around chunks of zombies until he passed by the herd. He had gone the opposite way of the house, trying his best to not bring them towards the house. 

“Take this turn.” Seungmin said from the middle backseat. The wheels screeched as he did so and only after the turn did he sigh in relief. That is until he remembered what just happened.

“Shit!” He cursed as he hit the wheel. Jeongin jumped and looked at him worriedly.

“Don’t think about that right now, Hyunjin.” Seungmin told him.

“How can I not?! How could we just leave like that? The whole group’s out there and I just floored it.”

“It’s my fault, hyung. I told you to go. I thought they would get in but…only Seungmin was able to.”

“It’s not your fault, Hyunjin-ah.” Hyunjin wasn’t listening. It was his fault. He should have made sure everyone was in the car or at least stopped for them before he really left.

“We have to go back.” He determined.

“We have to stop at the house first, though.” Seungmin said.

“Our friends are out there running from zombies!” Hyunjin was perplexed at Seungmin’s logic.

“We can’t lose what we managed to get for the second time! We have to drop these things off before we lose it again.” Hyunjin stopped the car in the middle of a random neighborhood and put it in park. He took off his seatbelt and opened the door.

“Hyung?”

“Hyunjin, get back in the car.” Hyunjin began walking at a pace that was uncomfortable on his feet but he’d be damned if he left his friends alone out there.

“Hyung, come back please!” Jeongin got out of the car as well and began running towards him. “Hyung, please.” Silent tears began collecting in his eyes as he grabbed Hyunjin’s hand just to for him to snatch it back.

“You bring everything back to the house. I’m going to find the rest.”

“Hyunjin, you can barely even walk. What are you going to do when the herd catches up to you? Run? You’re already limping.” Seungmin said as he also got out of the car.

“You know what? I’ve had it with your attitude.” Hyunjin turned and walked back over to Seungmin, trying his best to not limp. “You told me your sob story and I thought you would change after that but you didn’t. You’re still mean and harsh and all you do is complain. And you don’t even care about the rest of us! All you care about is whatever helps you, whatever is convenient for you.” Hyunjin kept yelling even when he got right up to his face. His chest was rising from the pain, the yelling, and his emotions. They stood there in the middle of the road with them staring at each other while Jeongin cried next to them.

“Why are you two being like this?” Jeongin said. “This is not the time for this.” Hyunjin glared at Seungmin before he turned to keep walking. Then Seungmin turned and walked towards the car. Jeongin was left wondering who to follow. If he followed Seungmin, he would get to the house and be safe. But then that would mean that Hyunjin would be alone. Jeongin decided that was more important. So, with one more look back at Seungmin, Jeongin followed Hyunjin.

 

Woojin smashed his axe over a zombie’s head and as it fell down, he saw their car drive away in the opposite direction of the house. He cursed and quickly took down the zombie closest to him. He couldn’t see anyone else so he thought everyone got away. For a moment, he felt at peace. An odd sense of peace. They got what they could and everyone left safely in the car. Their plan for the most part worked. He backed up as the zombie around him seemed to multiply. But then he noticed odd movement to his left. As he looked over, his eyes widened as he saw a panicked Changbin climb on top of the van.

“Changbin?!” Changbin looked over and yelled Woojin’s name back. “Shit!” Woojin couldn’t give up. He would never tell anyone but he was about to give up. Seeing Changbin made him think that he could force the kid to watch him die via zombies and he couldn’t die knowing that he left Changbin to fend for himself. So, he fought his way to Changbin. Maybe that was a bad idea, to trap the both of them on top of a crashed mini-van but all he cared about was getting to him so that he wasn’t alone. Changbin held out his hand to help Woojin up and when one got too close and grabbed Woojin’s leg. Changbin once again took the pistol and shot it in the head. Another bad idea since it would attract even more zombies but he had to help. 

Both boys were out of breath as they sat on this car, back to back with their legs curled up tightly so the walkers couldn’t reach them.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Woojin looked over his shoulder to ask Changbin.

“No, no. I’m okay. You? Did that last one scratch you?”

“No, it didn’t. I’m okay.” Woojin let out a deep breath. “The others got away in the car. At least there’s that.” Changbin let out a deep sigh as well. 

“Good. Looks like it’s just you and me then.” Woojin looked over his shoulder again before reaching out his hand to try and find Changbin’s. Changbin grabbed it and intertwined their fingers.

“I’m sorry this happened, Changbin.” 

“I’m sorry, too, hyung.” A silent tear fell from Changbin’s eye. They were trapped. This herd seemed to have grown in just a few days and seemed to be attracted to Changbin for some reason because this isn’t the first time he’s encountered them and most likely won’t be the last if he ever got the chance to.

 

Jeongin has been walking alongside Hyunjin and it wasn’t until they got to the corner that he noticed Hyunjin beginning to limp even more.

“Hyung, you need to sit down.”

“If I sit down, we’ll be vulnerable.” Hyunjin spoke softly to Jeongin, not having the heart to take his anger out on him. Jeongin sighed.

“Your feet are hurting though. What do we do?” Hyunjin stopped walking.

“I don’t know.” Hyunjin whined as the emotions and reality of everything finally hit him. He keeled over and began sobbing. Jeongin immediately wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him back up to hug him. Hyunjin hugged him tighter than he ever has and sobbed into his shoulder.

“This is so fucked. Nothing ever goes right. I feel like this would’ve been the last trip now that we had the seeds. We would’ve been fine for so long but now,” Hyunjin stopped himself and continued crying. Jeongin didn’t know how to respond, how to comfort him. Over Hyunjin’s shoulder, however, he saw the car coming towards them. Jeongin lifted his chin from Hyunjin’s shoulder as it got closer and eventually stopped next to them.

“Get in.” Seungmin said from the driver’s seat. Hyunjin sniffled.

“I’m not going back to the house.”

“I know. We’re going to find them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You were right. I can’t be selfish in times like these. I’m sorry. I’ll do better from now on.” Hyunjin sniffled one last time before fully letting go of Jeongin and looking at the younger boy, silently asking him if it was okay to go with Seungmin. Jeongin instead pushed him towards the car.

“Let’s go find them.” Hyunjin nodded and moved to the sit in the back but Jeongin redirected him to the passenger.

“If we find them and there’s a lot of zombies around, I’ll open the door for them. You need to rest your feet at least for the time being.” Hyunjin nodded and opened the passenger door. He couldn’t look at Seungmin in the eyes. He felt ashamed at the words he said in his moment of anger and distress. But he couldn’t quite take it back at the moment.

“All right. Let’s go back to where the car is.” Seungmin said as he began driving again. As they began seeing the back of the herd, Jeongin had a horrible idea.

“Oh my god, hyung…what if…they were bitten or eaten? We’d have to see them as one of them or--”

“Don’t think like that, Jeongin-ah.” Seungmin cut him off. Mostly because he didn’t want to think of that possibility. 

“Wait, who’s that?” Hyunjin pointed out the window and that’s when they noticed Woojin beginning to raise his hand from the top of a car.

“That’s Woojin hyung! And Changbin hyung!” Seungmin was in shock to see the situation that they were in.

“Fuck, okay. Lock all the doors.”

“What? How are they going to get in?” Hyunjin again began feeling angry.

“They’re going to have to get on top of the car. Look at how many zombies are around. We can’t risk it yet.” Hyunjin but agreed. He looked his door and looked back to make sure that Jeongin did the same. Seungmin struggled to get through the zombies but he managed to get as close as he could with just two walkers stuck between their car and the crashed one. Hyunjin cracked the window just a little and yelped as their grubby fingers went through it.

“Hyung! You’re gonna have to get on top of the car!” He yelled before using the end of his knife to shove the fingers back out so he could close the window. Woojin and Changbin had already began getting ready to do so. It wasn’t that big of a gap. They’d barely have to jump. It’s the possibility that they’d lose balance or they’d get caught by them.

“Okay, I’ll go first and I’ll catch you, okay?” Woojin said.

“Hyung, please be careful. And don’t leave me okay?” Changbin said. Woojin would never but he understood the state of panic that he was in so he nodded and began preparing himself for all of the outcomes that can happen. He counted down in his head before he jumped slightly to get to the car. He wobbled a little and immediately laid down on the car to stabilize himself. The kind of car they had was an SUV with rails on the top. So, he held onto one of them and laid on his side to give Changbin as much space as possible.

“Okay, jump! Be careful!” Changbin nodded and shuffled his feet. He was terrified, panicked, somewhere in between wanting to die and wanting to live. But before he could truly psych himself out, he jumped. He didn’t wobble as much as Woojin but the older still grabbed onto him and gently pulled him down. Changbin laid down next to Woojin and held onto the railing. Woojin’s smacked the top of the car twice, signaling for them to start moving and slowly but surely, they did. After they got through the thick of the herd, they sped up. They rounded the corner of their street and after a short minute, they were reversing over the grass to get close to the door to not have to make long trips to unload whatever they got. Changbin let out the biggest sigh of relief he’s ever let out and Woojin gave him a smile and a pat on the back.

“We did it, Bin-ah.” Changbin nodded.

“Let’s not do that ever again.”

“You can say that again.” They climbed down over the hood of the car and went to greet the rest. Jeongin was the first to get to Woojin and hug him.

“I’m so sorry we left you. There were so many of them and we panicked and I thought you would get in but the car started going and—” 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Point is you came back for us and now we’re all safe again, okay?” Jeongin had a look in his face that confused Woojin.

“What? What’s wrong? Did something happen?" Woojin looked back at the car to see Changbin looking around confusingly.

“Um, hyung—” Jeongin was cut off by Changbin talking.

“Where’s Felix?” Woojin looked back at Jeongin.

“Not everyone’s here?” Jeongin shook his head. “Chan?” 

“We were hoping we’d find all of you back there.” Jeongin began crying again. Woojin let go of Jeongin to run his hands in his hair. He didn’t know what to think. Where the hell were they if they weren’t back there? 

“We need to go back.” Changbin said.

“We need to unload the car first.” Seungmin said as he opened the trunk to not waste anymore time but Changbin thought he was wasting time anyway.

“We don’t have the fucking time.” Changbin pushed Seungmin to the side to try to close the trunk.

“If we lose the car then this would’ve been for nothing. We need to unload everything.” 

“Are you really doing this again?” Hyunjin asked him.

“I can’t believe you guys don’t see the bigger picture here. The reason we even did this to begin with is so that if Jisung dies, it wouldn’t be in vain and now that we finally got everything we’re going to risk it for the second time all over again?” 

“You guys are so fucking loud!” A voice came from the house. Minho had opened the door and walked out.

“Minho, help me unload the trunk. Quick.” Seungmin grabbed one of the soil bags that they managed to take and handed it over to Minho. Minho had been looking around and when he grabbed the bag he asked, “Where’s Chan? And Felix?” he looked at Woojin and Changbin specifically. Changbin shook his head in annoyance and walked into the house.

“Fuck! Why does nothing ever go right?! God damn it!” He yelled at no one in particular and punched a hole through the wall.

“Changbin!” Minho yelled at him.

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Changbin had stormed into the living room just to pause in shock at the sight of Jisung sitting up and leaning against the wall.

“What happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o h m y c h i k e n h o w t e n s e  
> the angst is suffocating


	33. Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this a long one

Minho had been resting on his back. Now that the house was completely quiet, it was easy to hear Jisung breathing so he didn’t have to put a hand on his chest. 

He had been thinking about the last few days. The days leading up to this incident. The days leading up to them meeting Woojin and Chan. The days leading up to the apocalypse. And the days leading up to them getting together.

Jisung had told him that he was controlling, Chan has as well. And he really was starting to think that he was. He always felt like he had to help out Jisung but he came off as ‘Jisung can’t do anything without me.’ Maybe Minho really started to believe that, that he couldn’t do anything without him. At first he thought that Jisung never let him think otherwise but then he realized, he barely ever asked Jisung what he thought of things. What he thought they should do. Minho always came up with the plan and expected Jisung to agree. And just because he always did doesn’t mean that Jisung was happy or proud of it. 

With the way the world has been going, the last thing he wanted was to lose his love. Jisung’s love to be exact. It’s what keeps Minho going and he’s realized it within the last few days. What the hell would he do without him? He always thought Jisung couldn’t live without him but he started thinking it was the other way around. How stupid had he been?

These kinds of thoughts kept coming into his head in several different forms. He formed scenarios in his head of how different their relationship could have been if he just gave Jisung the floor. Maybe then, Jisung wouldn’t be on the brink of death with their last shared words were made with anger and passive aggressiveness.

He just wanted to see his eyes again, his smile with his little crooked tooth that always warmed Minho’s heart. He wanted Jisung to dote over him and fix his hair. He wanted to kiss Jisung’s neck and be the little spoon. He wanted Jisung to hold him as he tells Minho everything that has been on his mind that he felt he couldn’t say out loud.

He really thought he wouldn’t get any of that until Jisung’s breathing pattern started changing. Minho’s head snapped towards him. It wasn’t slowing down but actually speeding up. That didn’t make Minho feel better. Is he having a heart attack? Stroke? Seizure? It wasn’t until he heard Jisung’s croaky voice speak that he felt the first sense of relief that he’s felt in so long.

“Ow.” What a beautiful word. That’s all Minho could ask for.

“Baby? Oh my god. Jisungie. Baby, talk to me.” Minho tried not to touch him, not knowing where it hurt. Jisung’s head turned towards the sound of his voice but his eyes didn’t open yet. His brows were scrunched up as any movement that he made hurt him.

“Everything hurts.” Jisung cried out.

“I know, my love. I’m so sorry. Do you want to take some pain killers?” He knew how much Jisung hated taking medicine but he didn’t want to see him hurting. But again, he was going to leave that choice up to Jisung.

“Yes, please. It hurts too much.” Minho scrambled to get the first aid kid where they shoved any kind of medical supplies in. 

“Here. Take this. Here’s some water.” Minho handed him the aspirin. It will have to do. 

“Wait, can you help me sit up, please?”

“Oh, shit, yeah. Sorry.” Minho helped him and stuffed the pillows and blankets behind him so he could lean against something soft.

“Good?” Jisung nodded slowly before taking the pills and chugging nearly the entire bottle of water. Jisung coughed as he stopped drinking. Minho grabbed the bottle out of his hands and set it aside.

“Where is everyone?”

“They went to take everything from the car?”

“Oh shit, that’s right. Damn it. It’s been nearly 3 years and I still can’t drive for shit.”

“That’s why you never got your license, dumbass.” Minho smiled as Jisung let out a short chuckle. At least his smile was back.

“Wait, is Changbin okay?” Jisung looked at Minho for the first time and Minho wanted to cry.

“Yeah, he’s okay. He’s the one who came up with this plan. Well, him and Woojin.”

“Ah…and why didn’t you go?” Minho took a deep breath.

“Baby…Jisung,…you stopped breathing that night. It scared the crap out of me. Even though you were the one dying, I felt like my life flashed before my eyes, too. I know I don’t speak like this much but you’re my world, Jisungie. The last thing I want is for you to be angry with me though I know I deserve it. And that day…

We talked about following each other no matter what. You got angry with me because you thought I wouldn’t follow you anywhere. But I will. And I would’ve that day too if you had left.”

“I know I said that to you, too but, man, the thought of you doing that because of me being an idiot really doesn’t leave a good taste in my mouth.” Jisung said as a tear fell from his eye.

“Stop calling yourself that.”

“You literally just called me a dumbass.”

“It’s a term of endearment.”

“In what world?” Jisung chuckled.

“In my world, dumbass.” Jisung giggled and Minho couldn’t stop smiling at him. “I was being sappy for once and now you’ve ruined the moment.” 

“You’re right, I’m sorry. Keep going.” Jisung giggled again. “Tell me how much you love me.” Even though Jisung was joking, Minho wasn’t. He needed to let Jisung know every day, every minute of every hour how much Minho loved him. So, he leaned in and kissed him. He kissed him like there wouldn’t be another tomorrow because he truly didn’t know.

“I love you so, so, so much, Jisung. I’m sorry I don’t show that as often as I should. And I’m sorry I didn’t show to you that your opinion matters and that you’re always allowed to speak your mind. I guess…I got stuck with the mentality that I needed to protect you and keep you safe and that you would be okay with that and not have a complaint but I know now that that’s not the case.

We’ve both done stupid shit, mostly me. But I’m not going back to that mentality. We have each other and the others and the only way that we can be a family is if we value each other’s thoughts and selves the same, yeah?”

“…how long did it take you to come up with that?”

“Well, I knew I wanted to apologize to you but I was going to wing it but when you were literally dead for 3 minutes, I knew that if I ever got the chance to hold you and be held by you again that I’d need to step it up.” Minho chuckled humorlessly.

“Have I been out long?”

“A few days.”

“Oh, shit,” Jisung whispered. Minho hummed. He took in Jisung’s face. His hair was greasy and his face was shiny too but he was beautiful. In terms of postapocalyptic self-care, he looked gorgeous. He always has though. 

 

They sat there talking mindlessly to each other, occasionally sharing kisses here and there until they got to where they were now. A bunch of yelling and confusion.

“Ji…Jisung.” Jisung’s face scrunched up as he moved to sit up better.

“What happened? Are we missing people?” Changbin was still in too much of a shock to respond as Minho walked around him with the bag.

“Chan and Felix are missing.” Minho told him.

“What?!” Jisung sat up off the wall just to couch and groan in pain as his sore body protested.

“Jisung!” Minho dropped the bag, making it split as it hit the floor before he ran towards Jisung and gently helped him sit properly again.

“You gotta be careful, sweetheart. You’re still healing.” Jisung nodded and took a moment to catch his breath as more and more people enter the house. At first they didn’t notice him until he spoke.

“Hey, guys,” Jeongin’s head whirled around and his eyes widened before he began smiling.

“You’re up!” Everyone crowded around Jisung and spoke at the same time, overwhelming him.

“Hey, everyone, give him some space okay? He woke up barely an hour ago.” Everyone moved maybe 2 inches away but stayed relatively surrounding him. Woojin and Changbin stood more in the back and decided they should finish unpacking the trunk if they want to go and find Chan and Felix before it gets dark. 

“This is ridiculous. We’re wasting time.” Changbin said, leaving everything at the entrance hallway, not wanting to waste even more time walking all the way in and out.

“Let’s just finish this and go.” Woojin said taking some of the last few things and dropping them in the dining room. Changbin came in and did the same with the last of everything and looked at Woojin.

“Hyung, I’m so scared. Felix, he’s very skittish. What if we can’t find him? Or worse…” Changbin stared off in the distance.

“Don’t. Don’t think like that. If anything, he ran with Chan. Chan wouldn’t let anything happen to him.” Woojin tried reassuring him and himself.

“Then what about Chan hyung?” Woojin turned his back to Changbin, not wanting him to see just how scared and unsure he was.

“Let’s go. We got a lot of ground to cover.” 

 

 

Felix was frozen. The person standing in front of him, the one who’s tortured him for months, who enslaved him and Chan.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” His yellowing, disgusting teeth showed as he grinned and took tantalizing steps towards Felix. He couldn’t even run back out, the damn entrance table was in the way.

“You came back to us, huh, Yongbokkie?” He called himself Ken as if he were anywhere near what the doll is thought to be.

“Don’t call me that.” Felix whimpered. He never liked that name, and he surely didn’t like it coming from him.

“Careful how you talk to me, boy. Don’t think I forgot how you left with half of our food. I’d like it back now.” Felix was shaking as he got closer. He even started to smell how bad he stunk.

“I can’t.” 

“Well, looks like I’ll have to punish you.” Felix felt a single, hot tear fall from his eye. He hated his punishments.

“Fine. What do you want me to do?” He would escape. Whatever it was, the moment he got the chance, he’d hit him over the head and run.

“Oh, no. You don’t gotta do anything, sweetheart. You can’t be trusted.” Felix was confused. Then what is he supposed to do? His thoughts were interrupted by his hair being yanked backwards. He yelped in pain and surprise as he was forced to look at him in the eyes.

“You will pay for what you did to us. Once and for good.” Felix’s eyes widened. For good? “Song!” Fuck, Song. He hated Song. He was creepy and way too touchy. Oh no. No, don’t leave him alone with him.

“Look who’s back.” Ken moved Felix’s head for Song to see properly. Said man grinned and limped towards them. He looked worse than when Felix left them. His gut was even bigger for some odd reason and his limp was new.

“Little Bokkie. Long time no see, eh?” Felix grimaced as his grubby fingers touched his face. 

“Get your disgusted fingers off of me.” Felix never used to speak to them like that. But after facing what he has, he refuses to give them what they want. 

Song lifted his hand and backhanded Felix’s cheek. The pull on his hair as his head was forced to the side hurt more than that.

“You’ve gotten brave, boy. Has your daddy Chan taught you that? Huh? To talk back to your masters?” Felix cringed at everything that Ken said.

“He didn’t have to. I know how to talk to scum like you.” Ken, instead of hitting him for how Felix was talking to him, instead felt compelled to spit in his face. Felix would have rather gotten slapped again. 

“You won’t be able to talk for long. So, let it out all out, boy. And we will determine how slowly we kill you and feed you to the biters.” Ken pulled him hard so he would fall to the floor. He had smacked his nose on the rotting wooden floor, causing him to feel dizzy and almost miss the kick that Ken gave to his feet. 

Were they really going to kill him? Felix tried to pick himself up but Song put a foot on his back and pushed him back down.

“Oh, not just yet, Little Bokkie.” Felix groaned as the hell of his shoes dug even further into his back almost like Song was putting all his weight down on him. “Now, we’re going to have a little fun before the main course, if you will.” Song laughed that hacking laugh that Felix couldn’t stand. 

Felix couldn’t die this way. The world has been infested by zombies and he’s going to die by the hands of a maniac that’s still quote on quote “human”? No. He will go fighting if he had to.

 

 

Chan had run until he reached the apartments. Had he really gone that far? He turned around to look back in the direction that he came from. Nothing had even followed him. No one. He was an idiot. And a coward. How could he have allowed himself to get this separated after he swore that he’d never leave them, never leave Felix, never leave Woojin.

“Fuck.” Chan cursed under his breath and decided he would head back. He’d go around the herd and somehow find his way back to the house. Hopefully everyone had gotten away. He saw the car leave with Jeongin yelling for everyone to get in. Chan was a little too far to do so, so he just ran.

He had taken just two steps before he heard a yell. He whirled around and scanned the area. He almost thought he hallucinated it. He took one more step, still looking in the direction that he heard it from. He stopped himself from going further, though. He had that feeling in his gut again. He’s learned to trust it. He turned his body fully and waited to see if it would happen again. Instead, he heard shuffling from the shrubbery in the tree line. He readied his hammer, anticipating a walker to come through but when he saw the familiar blonde hair, he knew who it was.

“Fuck, Felix!” Chan ran over to him and caught him right before he fell. Blood was coming out of his mouth and his nose had a nasty cut on it but he was more curious about the blood on the unfamiliar axe that he was carrying. 

“Go,” Felix swallowed before continuing to speak as he turned to look behind him. “We need to go, Chris. I found—I found Ken.” Chan’s face turned to one of anger before he sprung to action. He wrapped Felix’s free arm around his shoulder and helped him run.

“Was he following you?”

“Yeah. He grabbed me and we fell but I kicked him and I kept going. I killed Song.” Chan will worry about how Felix must be feeling after killing another human later but right now, they needed to get home. 

“Yongbok!! You’re dead!!” Chan turned to see Ken with a bloody face running towards them from the tree line. He would catch up to them soon since him and Felix couldn’t run much faster if Chris was helping him. They’d have to fight.

“Felix, stay behind me.” Chan told him after letting his arm go and standing in front of the younger with his hammer ready. It was no match for Ken’s own axe and knife but he’d be damned if he let him touch Felix any more than he already has. Over his literal dead body.

“Hyung…” Felix whimpered. He had turned around after he heard the sound of a car. A sense of relief hit him when he saw Woojin and Changbin. Ken had slowed down to a stop a few feet in front of them after seeing the car. Chan still didn’t take his eyes off of him, not trusting for him to not attack when he wasn’t looking.

“It’s Changbin and Woojin.” Felix told him.

“I’m not taking my eyes off of him, Felix. Get in the car.” Chan said.

“Not without you.” Felix put a hand on his shoulder and tried pulling him towards the vehicle.

“Felix! Hyung! Get in the car.” Felix turned to see Changbin out of the car and holding the pistol at Ken. 

“Changbin has a gun, Chris. Let’s go.” Chan finally glanced backwards and trusted Changbin would take things into his hands if Ken moved behind his back. He helped Felix get into the car. They both flinched when they heard the gun go off a few seconds later. Chan turned to see Ken fall with blood pouring out of his throat. He had his hand with the axe up.

“He was going to throw the axe at you, hyung. I had to!” Changbin told him, putting his hands up as if Chan would be angry with him.

“It’s okay. You did good, Changbinnie. Thank you.” Changbin nodded before pointing at Ken.

“We should get his head right? I was aiming for that but he moved and I panicked.”

“It’s okay. I’ll get it. You get in the car, okay?” After making sure the both of them got inside the car, Changbin choosing to sit in the back with Felix, Chan walked up to Ken’s body. He was somehow still alive, choking on his own blood.

“Tell Song I said, ‘fuck you’.” Chan told him before smashing his head several times with his hammer. Maybe it was overkill but he felt such intense anger towards him that even when the hammer went straight through his head and started hitting the road, he couldn’t stop. Eventually, he brought himself to do so. Out of breath, hair messed up, and blood all over his hands and clothes, he must look like one of them. One of the walkers. He ran a bloody hand through his hair, pushing it back before standing back up on shaky knees. He wouldn’t have to worry about them again. He snatched the knife and axe out of his hands and spat on his nonexistent face for good measure.

When he got to the car, Changbin had Felix’s face in his shoulder, not wanting him to have seen what Chan just did. Chan, in turn, gave him a nod. He let go of the weapons onto the floor of the passenger seat and leaned his head back. It was quiet in the car until Woojin handed him his hoodie. It came from one of the closets at the house. There were more.

“Wipe your hands. Don’t want to scare the kids.” Chan did so as Woojin began driving. Chan felt something change in him. He always knew tomorrow, hell the next hour wasn’t promised, but he got a sense of how fragile life was within the last few minutes. How badly everything could have gone. Felix could’ve died, Chan could have died, Jisung could have died. Literally everyone. There was no space for fear these days. And Chan had finally come to terms with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. i hate roaches sm and i don't understand why. there was one in the extra room in my house where i'm usually holed up in and i could not resT until it was gone jgknvofdol
> 
> 2\. why do ppl leave their dogs outside when they leave the house???? it's almost summer which means it's going to be raining like crazy and of course it was thundering and pouring and the poor dog was barking up a storm the entire time because they were outside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at least they had cover so it didn't get wet but what the hell ppl. the dog could even overheat with how hot it is out here. either get a kennel or train them better. anything is better than leaving them outside the whole day
> 
> OOh speaking of dogs (i'm just going to rant bc feelings) i recently moved into this house and when we were looking at it, the family had already moved out and a family member (the mom of the mom) was the realtor or something showing the house but the house was completely empty. tell me why the actual hell the dog was left behind....like the entire family wasnt living in this house anymore but we came by maybe 2 or 3 times and the dog was always there with crusty eyes man wtf a pet isn't decoration okay and the lady showing us the house wasn't 100% comfortable with the dog so i know she wasn't bringing her in every time.
> 
> anyways........hope you enjoyed this long chapter and my rant about bad pet care and how ppl should do better.


	34. Chan/Woojin/Changbin/Seungmin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angsty as shit boiiiii

~4 Weeks Later~

Chan had swung his metal bat over the 10th zombie he’s found in his way. The backpack on his back was full of items he’s collected. This was his third run in a week. It’s not that they were running low on things but he just wanted to give everyone more. So far, he’s found 3 pairs of shoes for Hyunjin, more jackets for everyone since fall was coming and it was getting cold, socks, blankets, bars of soap and bottles of shampoo and conditioner, a few random games and miscellaneous things that he thought would bring the kids joy or something. He also managed to find 3 match boxes. He would later start stocking up on wood so they could burn it when it got too cold.

He was alone in this trip. He tended to do that, leave without telling anyone since he wanted to do this alone. Every time he came back, Woojin would pull him aside and they’d have the same one sided conversation that they always did. Woojin would tell him how he can’t keep doing that, that something might happen and they’d never know, how he could help him if he’d just tell him ahead of time. But this is just Chan’s way of dealing with everything and that is by embracing it. Take it head on instead of being as fearful as he was before where he hesitated to help his friends because of how scared he was. He wasn’t scared when he was alone, he found out. He felt less pressured and by that way and that way only, he managed to return to the house with two backpacks full and his hands, face, and hair clean after washing it in the neighboring house.

Like always, before he even reached the porch of their house, Woojin had opened the door except this time, he just grabbed the bag from Chan’s hands and walked away. Chan rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him. The silent treatment. Chan could handle that. Woojin couldn’t stay quiet for too long with him and Chan knew how to get him to talk by now.

“Hyung! We were waiting for you.” Jeongin had been sitting on Hyunjin’s lap with the elder’s arm wrapped tightly around him. Jeongin gently shoved him off as he ran towards Chan and holding out a can of peaches. The expiration date was still a few months ahead. Chan nodded and took the can from him. He dropped his bag next to the couch and looked out into the back yard. They managed to make room in the living room and push the couch off to the side a bit more so they could go out into the backyard and start planting the seeds.

Between Minho and Changbin, they’ve been busy securing the backyard more, making sure the gates on the sides were boarded shut and they made spears out of branches and dug them into the ground on the perimeter so if anyone were to jump over, they’d most likely get stabbed first. 

So far, the plants have begun to stick out of the soil. Soon, they’d have vegetables to store for the winter.

“Channie hyung, join us.” Changbin asked him from his spot next to Felix on the sleeping bags that they reclaimed. Chan took off his shoes and scanned the room. Usually he’d sit next to Woojin but the tension's been growing between them and not the good kind, so he sat on the arm of the couch where Hyunjin, Jeongin, and Jisung sat. Minho was on the floor in between Jisung’s legs, Seungmin was on his twin mattress with Woojin sitting next to him on the double. 

“Did you find anything good?” Felix asked him. He didn’t like the idea of Chan going by himself but he quickly learned that he couldn’t stop him or convince him to at least take someone with him.

“I found more matches. By the way, we need to start gathering wood. We don’t know how long this winter will last.” Everyone silently acknowledged that task. “Found some blankets. It’s already starting to feel cold inside here. We won’t have heating so we’ll probably need to board up the windows as well.” Another silent acknowledgement. Everyone had begun digging into their cans of food. 

“And we need more water. We’re okay for now but the last thing we need is to run out of it. Our next best bet would be to melt and boil the snow.”

“Then we can save the water and look for more after winter. We don’t need to worry about that just yet.” Woojin said with a hard voice, not looking up from his own can of fruit. Everyone felt how tense it was. Chan chose to ignore it. The next time he goes out, he’ll be more on the lookout for water.

 

After yet another awkward dinner, Hyunjin went around collecting the cans. They use it to make sort of a garland to attach to places outside so that if anyone trips on it, they’d hear it and check it out. They almost have enough to make another one.

Within the last few weeks, Hyunjin and Jeongin had gotten closer, a lot closer than they were with the others. Hyunjin had always been the kind to crush on people easily but usually he’d lose it after a while. At first he thought he liked Jeongin because of how adorable he was and his dimples and his eyes and his smile and then Hyunjin realized it wasn’t just that. He really liked him. Always wanted to be around him and always looked for him to sit next to or just to talk. 

Jeongin also did the same with him, sit next to him without having to be asked to, always teamed up with him whenever they played games at the house or when they had to find places for the new items that Chan would bring. 

Seungmin on the other hand had been feeling like he didn’t belong. Changbin was his friend before all of this but now he had Felix, whatever it was that they had. Then he messed everything up with Hyunjin and although Jeongin still talked to him every now and then, as soon as Hyunjin came in the room it was like Seungmin didn’t exist. So, he’s been coming up with a plan. And that was to leave in the middle of the night when no one was paying attention. 

It was hard to do that though, which is the only reason why he was still there. Someone was always awake at night, either keeping watch or claiming they couldn’t sleep. He also didn’t want to go out empty handed. He needed a knife, a hammer, food, water, at least a blanket or something to get him started. He felt like no one really cared for his position in the group, no one talked to him, so what was the point? Why should he waste his time being in a group in which everyone ignores him and he can’t even be sure if they got his back? He’d be better off alone. Maybe he’ll find his own group.

So far, the only task he’s been given was to count and write down what food and water they have. Seungmin had been sneaking a few items into a random bag he found and then pretending like they weren’t running low on anything, that all the numbers matched up. He was thinking he had enough for now. He’ll just leave, get a car now that Minho had taught him how to hotwire one, and disappear. That’s all he had to do. It was easy. But he always came up with an excuse as to why he couldn’t do it. Everyone was paired up here. Even though something was going on with Woojin and Chan, they were still a pair. Although Changbin got embarrassingly nervous around Felix, they were a pair. Although a few weeks ago, Jisung and Minho weren’t talking to each other, they’ve been a pair for years. And then Hyunjin and Jeongin. They haven’t said anything about their relationship, but with the way everything’s been going, Seungmin wouldn’t be surprised if out of nowhere they started kissing right in front of everyone.

Laying on his twin mattress, he could see Hyunjin’s body facing towards him with Jeongin hugging him from behind. They were both fast asleep, comfortable and sharing each other’s warmth. Seungmin could never have that. He laid there for 20 minutes, trying to convince himself that now is his only chance to go. Chan had fallen asleep on the couch, Jisung and Minho were dead asleep next to him, Woojin was his only concern. Seungmin could never tell if he was asleep and on top of that, if a pin dropped on the floor, he would wake up. He’d have to be extra quiet. 

So, very slowly, he began sitting up. After messing with his blanket and taking it off of him, he sat there for a moment, making sure no one had woken up. He looked next to him, staring at Hyunjin’s sleeping face, at how tightly Jeongin was holding him. They looked so comfortable. He could never fit in between them. He glanced at the other two couples and how they held each other similarly. Even Woojin and Chan. Although they were fighting, they were never too far from each other. Seungmin could never. There’s no one left for him. 

He began standing up from his bed, never taking his eyes off of Woojin, making sure he wasn’t awake.

He tiptoed to the hallway where he had left everything; the bag, his shoes, the weapons, his jacket. But when he got there, he couldn’t see his bag. He hid it under some blankets, the ones that they had been leaving in a pile, waiting for it to be cold enough to use them. He pulled apart every blanket, even the ones folded nicely and couldn’t find it. There’s no way someone else found it…right? He looked into the dining room and saw nothing, he looked under the entrance table and saw nothing. What the hell? 

“Going somewhere?” Seungmin whirled around to see the last person he thought would be awake, Changbin. Had he taken the bag? 

“Where is it?” Changbin feigned ignorance.

“Where is what? Were you cold? There’s plenty of blankets. Pick one.” Changbin raised his eyebrows and pointed towards the messed up pile of blankets.

“Fuck off. You know what I’m taking about.” Changbin’s face got serious.

“What the hell were you thinking of doing? Stealing the food and water? You think I didn’t see you stacking the blankets on top of it?”

“I’m surprised you even took the time to pay attention to me now that Felix took my place.”

“There was no place to take. You’re my best friend, he’s my boyfriend.”

“Funny you still call me your best friend. This is the longest conversation we’ve had since we got here.”

“I try to talk to you every single day and you constantly push me away.”

“Because Felix is always there! It’s never just you and me or me and someone else. I’m the odd one out. Everyone has someone but me.” Seungmin didn’t expect to get emotional but here he was with his voice cracking and his face turning warm as he fought off the tears.

“I’m really sorry I made you feel that way, Seungmin. That one’s on me. But you can’t just leave like that, man. We…we’ve been friends forever. You were just gonna leave like that doesn’t mean anything to you? Like I don’t mean anything to you?”

“As far as I know, I cared more about you than you cared about me these days.”

“That’s not true. Seungmin--”

“What’s going on out here?” Woojin walked up to them. Seungmin gave Changbin a look and Changbin hesitated. Should he tell Woojin the truth or lie for Seungmin? In the end, he didn’t want to lose him, so he did what he thought would work. Hopefully he wouldn’t regret it.

“Seungmin thinks we don’t care about him.” It wasn’t a lie and it wasn’t the entire story. Seungmin doesn’t know if he was relieved or not.

“Seungmin-ah, that’s not true.”

“For fuck’s sake, don’t make me repeat myself.” Seungmin sighed.

“No, I’m serious. Listen, everyone here is needed and wanted, okay? We all have our jobs and we all do our parts. No matter how insignificant you think it is, it is needed. We value you just as much as we value everyone else.”

“I don’t think so. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m the last person people care about. Everyone has someone to worry about and then there’s me. ‘Seungmin, count how many cans we have left, Seungmin grab the blankets from the hall, Seungmin, do this, do that.’ I’m not a fucking servant. You all have been making me feel less than human but you don’t even seem to realize ‘cause you’re so far deep inside your boyfriends’ asses!” The two got quiet as Seungmin ranted. He was breathing a little harder, and his heartrate was going a bit faster. Seungmin shook his head before leaning down to grab however many blankets he managed to get.

“I’m sleeping upstairs. If you care to know, that is.” Seungmin took two steps at a time and slammed one of the doors closed. Changbin began crying as soon as the door shut. Woojin brought him into his arms and held him as he cried.

“I’ve been a terrible friend.”

“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault.”

“I made him feel that way. Of course, it’s my fault.”

“It’s all of our faults, then. If we made him feel that way, then he’s right. We haven’t been treating him right. We forget that we’re an odd number and you have Felix, Minho has Jisung, Hyunjin has Jeongin and I’ve been trying to keep Chan alive. We forget that Seungmin might feel like there’s no one he can turn to.” Changbin cried a little more until someone else shuffled around the corner.

“Hyung?” Hyunjin said softly.

“Hmm?” Woojin hummed.

“…is someone missing again?” Hyunjin didn’t hear everything, he just woke up to use the bathroom and then found them like that.

“No…everyone’s here.” Hyunjin nodded.

“Then why is Changbin hyung crying? And Seungmin wasn’t in his bed.”

“Changbin…isn’t feeling very well right now. And Seungmin wanted to sleep upstairs.” Hyunjin nodded. He didn’t want to push so instead he continued his walk to the bathroom which was now outside. The water in the toilet had stopped working and so now they had to do their business outside. They had a rule, they can go number one in the back but for number two you gotta bury it because no one wanted to see that. But he didn’t want to disturb Chan by opening the back door so he went to walk around Changbin and Woojin to go to the front.

“I’m just going to pee really quick. I’ll be back.” Woojin nodded. Hyunjin opened the door and was immediately hit with the cold night air. He had to go quick so he can go back to being under his blankets. 

As he finished his business, he heard a thud. His eyes widened. He was at the side of the house, not even the front. If it was a zombie, he’d have nothing to protect himself with. He quickly began to run back to the front to go back inside but instead he saw Seungmin standing up from where he was kneeling on the grass. Hyunjin was confused.

“Seungmin-ah, I thought you were sleeping upstairs.” Hyunjin walked up to him. Seungmin seemed shocked to see him outside.

“Why the hell are you outside?” Hyunjin pointed back to where he was just at.

“Had to pee. You have to go, too? I won’t look.” Hyunjin hovered his hands over his eyes. Seungmin sighed and gently grabbed his wrists to pull them down.

“No. I’m leaving, Hyunjin.” Hyunjin was even more confused now.

“On a run? This late? Why not just wait till morning so you have daylight? I’ll go with you.”

“No, no, Hyunjin. I mean, I’m leaving the group.” Hyunjin’s eyebrows furrowed.

“This isn’t some kind of garage band, Seungmin. You can’t just ‘leave the group.’” Hyunjin put up some air quotes.

“That’s easy for you to say, Hyunjin. You have Jeongin.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Am I really going to have to say this for the third time?”

“You don’t even have weapons and I know those shoes don’t fit you. Look, you don’t have a jacket or gloves. What did you think would happen if you had actually left and I wasn’t here to stop you?”

“I’m not asking you to stop me. I’m telling you to go back inside and pretend this didn’t happen, okay?”

“No. Not fucking okay. Get back in the house.”

“No.”

“WOOJIN HYUNG!” Seungmin slapped a hand over Hyunjin’s face but the damage was done. Woojin pulled the door open, expecting to see Hyunjin being attacked by a walker just to see Seungmin there and Hyunjin pointing at him, his yells being muffled by the other’s hand.

“What the hell? You’re supposed to be upstairs.” Woojin walked up to them and Seungmin gave up and dropped his hand.

“He was going to run away! He jumped from the window!” Hyunjin said after noticing the open window upstairs.

“Seungmin, get back in the house. We’ll talk about this in the morning.” Woojin stood behind Seungmin and pushed him towards the house. Seungmin may have acted like a child as he stomped back into the house with his too big dress shoes that he took from the closet. Why the hell did Hyunjin have to be there? Now everyone’s going to know and they’re all going to give him some shitty reason as to why he should stay and lie to him that they care about him. He rolled his eyes when he saw Changbin’s red and wet cheeks still standing in the hallway.

“Seungmin—”

“Save it, hyung.” Seungmin walked passed him and went into the living room after taking those damn shoes off. Everyone had woken up by then. Chan was standing in front of the couch with messed up hair, Felix and Jeongin were sitting up in bed and Jisung and Minho lifted their heads when Seungmin walked into the room. 

Seungmin walked up to his mattress and pulled it all the way into the kitchen. He refuses to sleep among them. Without any blankets or pillows, he laid down and forced his eyes to stay closed. He heard Woojin sigh after seeing him there before he was finally left alone. He tried ignoring the murmurings, most likely Woojin and Changbin telling the others what happened. 

Why didn’t he bolt when he had the chance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> legit didn't think i'd have this chapter done since i had a family day yeet haven't had a family day in months ngfoiajdfoivfnbo
> 
> but the angst is here, loud and proud. 
> 
> also, got my dog anOTHER bed hoping he'd stop jumping on mine. that shit was like 60+ dollars and this pup still went on my bed likenjgsnf currently there are 4 doggy beds throughout the house now.


	35. Everyone

Come morning, everyone was awake before Seungmin. The beds were made, people were dressed in the new clothes that Chan had gotten them over the past few weeks, and they were sat in the dining room trying to see how they should come about this situation.

“Changbin, you were talking to him before I walked in. Did he say anything else to you?” Woojin asked him. Changbin took his arms off the table and looked sheepish. 

“Well…when you asked me what was wrong, I kind of didn’t tell you everything.” Woojin nodded for him to continue. “Last night, Felix was saying he was cold so I went to get him more blankets. He likes the fuzzy ones so I was looking through the pile for one and I saw a bag. It was full of food and water and stuff so I took it and left it in the kitchen. I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was Chan hyung’s and it was left there by accident.

But then I saw Seungmin get up in the middle of the night and at first I thought he was just going to the bathroom but then I heard him walking around so I got up and I saw him looking through the blankets. So, I questioned him about it and he basically said what I told you. That he thought he didn’t belong with us and he wanted to leave and he was going to do so last night.”

“But he was also saying something like everyone has someone but him.” Woojin said more for everyone who didn’t know what happened last night. Changbin confirmed that and then everyone sat in silence, trying to take in the information.

“How can we convince someone who thinks he doesn’t belong that he does?” Felix asked.

“I think we should ask him. You know, hear him out.” Jisung started. “We’re trying to come up with a solution without actually asking him why he feels this way and what we can do to make him feel more welcome. If we don’t understand him then we’ll never figure it out.”

“Yeah…I think that’s best.” Minho agreed with him.

“If it’s okay with everyone, I’d like to speak with him first.” Jeongin raised his hand a little.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Why just you though? How come?” Woojin asked him gently.

“I think we’re all really hurt and confused and being with you guys for as long as I have, I’ve learned pretty much your temperaments. Hyunjin hyung, Changbin hyung, you tend to get a little too angry sometimes. Minho hyung, Woojin hyung, I think sometimes you don’t really let others talk and explain themselves before you start coming to conclusions. Felix hyung, you’re okay but I think maybe you don’t ask the right questions or enough maybe. Jisung hyung, you’re okay, too, but you two haven’t really talked to each other a lot. And Channie hyung,…if I’m being honest,…I don’t know what’s going on with you recently.” Chan looked down at his hands and didn’t respond.

“You’re like our middle ground, Jeonginnie. And I think you’re right about us so whatever you think will work, go ahead.” Woojin told him. Jeongin nodded and looked at Hyunjin. He looked indifferent.

“Hyung, was I too harsh?” Hyunjin sighed.

“No. You’re right. Doesn’t mean I’d like to admit it though. But I know I haven’t been the nicest to Seungmin either and after last night, I know I’m not his favorite person ever.” Jeongin put his hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. 

“You should wait for him to wake up. As for the rest of us, we should get started on readying the house for winter. Give us something to do. It was colder last night than it’s been in a while.” Woojin said.

“What do we need to get?” Changbin asked. Woojin looked at Chan who has been quiet the entire time.

“It was your idea, Chan. What do we need?” Chan sat up straighter before speaking.

“We need a lot of wood. Wood to burn and planks for the windows. We need more hammers and nails. I thought of going back to the hardware store and getting materials from there. Maybe if we find insulation material there, we wouldn’t need planks.”

“We can look around. We’ll get more hammers anyways though and nails and whatever we think we’ll need later on.” Changbin said. Chan nodded.

“We should take the car to the store and stop by the woods to gather sticks. We’ll take trips there daily to gather more. The last thing we want is to run out.”

“You think we can hunt? I’d kill for some proper meat.” Minho rubbed his stomach. 

“You know how to hunt?” Chan raised his eyebrows.

“No, but never doubt a hungry man.”

“What if we make traps, like squirrel traps and we can check them when we go for the sticks. Maybe we’ll catch something.” Felix suggested.

“That’s a good idea. We can check the store, see if they have any or we’ll make it.” Jisung nodded at him.

“Okay, so minimum 4 people go. Stay in pairs always. Never separate from your partner.” Woojin said pointing at everyone. 

“I’ll go. Who wants to be my partner?” It was quiet for a moment before Woojin offered.

“I guess I will. Who else is coming?” 

“Me.” Minho raised his hand before he looked at Jisung. Jisung sighed and nodded. 

“Okay. One more.” Changbin was about to raise his hand when Felix raised his own.

“I’ll go.” 

“What?” Changbin asked him, maybe a little too shocked. Felix looked mildly offended.

“What, you think I can’t do it?”

“No, no. I mean you can but…it’s just you’ve never really…”

“Never really what?” Felix raised his eyebrows.

“Okay,” Woojin clapped his hands, foreseeing an argument that he didn’t want them to have. They had enough people fighting in this house. “We’ve got our 4 people, Jeongin you know what to do. Hyunjin, Changbin, Jisung, if you want to take care of the garden, that’d be great. Everyone know what to do?” After a scattered sound of affirmation, Woojin clapped once more and stood up, which triggered a few people to do so as well. 

Minho stayed sat as he turned his entire body to face Jisung.

“Is it really okay with you if I go? I know Hyunjin’s dying to get out there and do something.”

“No, it’s okay. As much as I’m not terribly excited to admit it, you’re one of the strongest and fastest so, do your thing and come back to me, okay?”

“Always. You better be here when I get back, too, okay?” Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Yes. I am forever your house wife.”

“Shut up, that’s not what I meant.” Jisung chuckled.

“I know it’s not. I’m just messing with you. I’ll be here, my love.” Jisung moved a strand of Minho’s hair out of his face. Minho looked at him with a warm look in his face. Jisung looked back at him the same.

“I was thinking we move upstairs, you know…have our own _private_ space.” Minho whispered to him. Jisung grinned and gently smacked Minho’s shoulder.

“Is that really all you think about?”

“C’mon, baby, it’s been over a month since we last…y’know.” Jisung giggled.

“If you come back, I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll come back. I promise you.” Minho knew he shouldn’t promise something like that but it gave him an even bigger reason to come back. 

 

Out by the stairs, Changbin was watching Felix prepare to go on his first run without Changbin.

“Is this how you felt every time I left the house?” Changbin said.

“Yes.”

“Mm…Felix, are you upset with me?” Felix sighed.

“It’s just…do you think of me as someone who’s weak, who can’t go out and do runs like you?”

“No, not at all, babe. Really.” Changbin reached for both of his hands and internally sighed in relief when Felix let him hold them.

“I’ll admit I was a little surprised but that’s because I’ve always been the one to go. But I don’t want you to think that I don’t think you can’t or shouldn’t, okay?” Changbin remembered how that fight went with Jisung and Minho. He didn’t want that for him and Felix. Luckily, the younger understood him.

“I guess I understand. I’ll admit, I’m shitting my pants right now but I want to do this, okay? I have to. I won’t leave Minho’s side and we’ll be quick, okay? An hour, two hours tops.”

“Okay. If you do separate though, you come here. Don’t go running off in the woods again.”

“God, that was one time.” Felix murmured.

“What was that? Speak up, Lix. Hyung didn’t hear you.” Changbin leaned his ear over and Felix screamed into it. Changbin let go of his hands and moved away, putting both of his hands on his ear in shock. Felix began cracking up and those who looked over in confusion…were still confused.

“He just fucking screamed in my ear out of nowhere!” Changbin pointed at him with one finger, still holding his ear with his other hand. Woojin and Chan shook their heads but couldn’t help but laugh. Felix threw his head back and laughed even harder as he wrapped his arms around the older.

“Did you hear me that time?”

“Yeah, will probably be the last time I hear you out of this ear, though?” Felix giggled and pulled his hand away to gently kiss the shell of his ear.

“Sorry, hyung.” Felix then kissed his cheek before Changbin turned his head and kissed his lips.

“All right, get out of here, loser.” Changbin hit his hip and moved away. 

 

 

“If we’re supposed to work together, you can’t be mad at me.” Chan told Woojin softly so no one heard them. They were stood at the end of the hallway preparing the bags.

“If we’re supposed to work together, don’t run off, doing your own thing.” Woojin snapped back, speaking just a little bit louder than Chan did.

“I told you. Sometimes, I just have to go alone.”

“And I told you, that’s not how we do things around here. We always have a partner.”

“Weren’t you the one who was alone all this time?”

“Don’t bring the past up. _Right now,_ we’re a group. You gotta start acting like it.” 

“Don’t talk to me like I’m 10 years old.”

“I will when you stop acting like it.” Chan rolled his eyes and zipped up his bag.

“Can you just not while we’re out there? Just don’t.” Woojin rolled his eyes back.

“Fine.”

 

After the four boys left, the other four began finding things to do. Jeongin wanted to put away the food and water that was in the bag in the kitchen but he thought Seungmin was still asleep so he tried finding something else to do. He rubbed his stomach as it started rumbling but tried to ignore it. 

They had shared 3 cans of peaches that morning. They were running low on it and it was Jeongin’s favorite but he knew he couldn’t rely on them anymore. He also knew he couldn’t take food from the kitchen until lunch time so he had to control it. Instead, he went to grab a bottle of water so try to drink away his hunger.

Walking around the island he went to get a water bottle from the counter and found Seungmin sitting up still trying to keep his eyes open.

“Hyung! You’re awake.” Jeongin gave him a small smile. Seungmin just rubbed his eyes and let his hands fall back down. Jeongin hesitated before sitting at the end of the bed. Seungmin pulled his legs in to give him more space. Maybe he did it unconsciously or maybe he did it as a sigh that Jeongin was welcome.

“4 of us are out on a run right now to start preparing for colder nights.”

“Already? It’s only around September.”

“It’s already starting to get cold though. So, we need to be ahead.” Seungmin shrugged and that was that.

“Hyung,…I wanted to talk to you about last night.”

“I don’t.”

“But we should. Listen, I feel like it’s my fault. We used to talk a lot but then the whole thing with Jisung hyung, Felix hyung, and Chan hyung happened and a lot of things changed since then. Especially with Chan hyung. But that’s a whole other story. Point is, I should’ve noticed that you were feeling left out. I should’ve done something.” Seungmin shook his head.

“I was pushing people away, too, though. I just never really bonded with anyone like you guys bonded with each other. You call everyone hyung even when you’ve only known them for like a minute. You bonded with Hyunjin which I can’t really blame you. And I was just there in the middle of you two and Minho and Jisung.” Jeongin sighed.

“I’ll be with you tonight. And tomorrow. And whenever you want me to be. It’s not fair to you.”

“Yeah, but it won’t be fair for Hyunjin either. Then he’ll be alone and that guy’s like…an anaconda. I don’t know. He’s so clingy.” Seungmin said but it didn’t sound like a diss, it almost sounded admiring. Jeongin laughed.

“Yeah, sometimes I wake up and he’s squeezing me so tight. But it feels nice you know. And you should have that too. I’m sure Hyunjin will understand if I share with you every now and then. Maybe you can share with Hyunjin too? We can take turns.” Seungmin scoffed.

“I’m pretty sure Hyunjin hates my guts. You saw how much we fought.”

“That’s why you guys should talk it out too. I think the both of you have things to say that you’re holding in. It’s better to let it out.” Seungmin nodded slowly before looking down at his hands.

“Can you be there, though? If things get bad again, can you talk us through it? If I’m honest…I’m tired of this. I just want to feel like I belong. I know part of it is my fault and I’m sure I made things worse by trying to leave but…I felt like I had to.” Seungmin’s eyes began burning with unshed tears. 

“What were you hoping to find out there?”

“…..death…maybe…”

“You don’t mean that, hyung. Or else you wouldn’t have tried taking food and water.” Seungmin shrugged.

“But then I jumped out the window ‘cause I realized I had no where to go anyway so what’s the point of trying to find some place else.” Jeongin looked at him with sad eyes.

“Hyung, you belong here, okay? I don’t know what else to say to convince you so I’ll try showing you.” Jeongin crawled up the mattress and sat on Seungmin’s lap to hug him tightly. He was never one to initiate his kind of skin ship. Usually he just allowed his hyungs to pull him in and he just stayed there and let them but Seungmin needed the affection. And the older accepted it. He wrapped his arms around Jeongin and every now and then, he would sniff letting Jeongin know that he had started crying. Jeongin didn’t mention it, just continued holding him until Seungmin began pulling away.

“Can you maybe not tell anyone about this?” Seungmin said as he wiped his eyes.

“About what?” Jeongin was asking genuinely but Seungmin thought of it as him asking sarcastically, letting Seungmin know that he wasn’t going to say anything. So, he began pushing Jeongin off of him. Jeongin decided to let it go and stood up, helping Seungmin up as well.

“I’ll bring the mattress back, okay? You should eat something.” Jeongin had already began pulling the mattress back to its spot. Seungmin watched him the entire time with a small smile on his face before shaking his head and realizing the thoughts that were going through his head.

 _‘Seungmin-ah, you can’t take advantage of Jeongin. He already has Hyunjin. He doesn’t want you like that.’_ Seungmin pushed his thoughts to the side and focused on finding something to eat. He’ll worry about everything else later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we'll start learning more about woojin soon i promise :*
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> ALSO BITCH THIS JUST HAPPENED AFTER I UPLAODED THIS CHAPTER. A GOTDAMN ROACH!!!! A ROACH. COCKROACH. RIGHT ON MY DESK IN FRONT OF ME B I T C H I WAS LEGTI SHOOK MY HANDS ARE SHAKING I HATE ROACHES I HAVE THE STUPIDEST FEAR OF THEM OMGGGSFDIGJNSDFJKNSDFIGBJSNFGIGWO
> 
> before y'all start thinking i live in a pigsty, my 'office' is in a converted room in the garage and these fuckers been getting ballsy and finding every fucking crack to get through ofvskmk my heart is still racing bitch omg i S C R E A M E D it's 2am and ain't no one hear me really >_>_>_>_>_>_>


	36. Chan/Woojin

Woojin had taken up the task of driving them to the store after getting directions from Jisung. Minho watched as they drove past their apartment building while Chan stared at the decomposing body of the man he killed a few weeks ago. He could barely bring himself to look away. Felix closed his eyes the second he saw the body. He knew it’s something that had to be done but he’d rather not think about them anymore.

He had nightmares about the day he killed Song. But that part came after he dreamt about how much him and Ken abused him specifically. They had Chan do manual labor while they made Felix pamper them. They’d tell him to run off into the lake behind the house, put water into the buckets and wash them off. They made him physically change them out of their clothes and put new ones on them like they were children who couldn’t dress themselves and then he’d be given the task of cleaning them in the same lake. Sometimes, he’d just drench the clothes in soapy water and pretend he actually did something. They could never tell the difference.

But that day, the day he murdered Song, he’d never get that image out of his head.

It was quick, less aggressive than how Chan killed Ken but Felix knew if he had the chance to, he’d probably would’ve done worse. 

He didn’t kill Song with his own two hands, he didn’t hit him with a weapon, he didn’t even slap him across the face. Luck came his way in the shape of the walking dead. Song had picked him up from the ground and took him outside while Ken did who knows what inside the cabin. Song had both of Felix’s wrists held behind his back as he shoved him through the trees and shrubs. He slashed his axe at some of the shrubbery that got in his way until they got to a clearer spot where Felix could tell was where they cooked and ate their food since a burnt squirrel was still in a manmade rotisserie hovering over the long dead fire. A few tattered camping chairs was scattered around a campfire. Some were completely torn and some were about to fall apart.

One moment Felix was standing, then the next he was being pushed onto the floor once again. His hands and knees were sore from being pushed and having to catch himself twice now on unforgiving surfaces. He turned his left hand over and saw the surface burns he had on them before it was taken by Song. The man held his wrist as he struggled to unravel the long rope with his other hand. They were going to tie him up. Why tie him up outside? Why take him to where they cook their food? 

Felix had an awful idea. They wouldn’t… _eat_ him…right? Felix began feeling that familiar feeling of panic as Song finally got a grip on the rope. Just as he was about to tie it around Felix’s wrist, a walker growled behind Song. It was a girl with her leg trapped in a bear trap. Her foot appeared to be hanging by a single thing of flesh as she limped towards them as fast as she could. 

“Shit.” Song cursed. “Get up!” Felix’s arm was bent awkwardly as he was pulled up and used as cover. The girl could barely walk faster than 2 miles an hour but they way her arms were flailing haphazardly in their general direction made Felix nervous. Song didn’t seem to care about escaping even though they completely could. He just cowered behind Felix’s much smaller frame. 

But just as the walker was within arm’s length from Felix, he used his flexibility to move out of the way and make her grab Song instead. Song had gripped his wrist even tighter as he yelled when her hands got a hold of his shirt. Felix scratched at Song’s hand until he let go and then used his foot to shove the both of them. As they were falling, the zombie bit into his jugular. His screams were beginning to sound gargled and Felix could honestly throw up. 

His eyes locked on the dropped axe and he quickly picked it up. He thought about it, thought about swinging the axe deep into this guy’s gut but before he could do it, he heard Ken yell out for Song. The trees were skinny enough for Ken to see Felix so he made a run for it. 

The shrubbery that was tall enough to hit Felix’s face did just that. Tiny scratched littered every inch of exposed skin by the time Ken caught up to him. The man tackled him to the ground. His hands gripped at every part of Felix that he could as the boy wiggled around, trying to get loose. Eventually, Felix freed his leg enough to kick him in the face, right on the nose. As Felix got himself back up, he whirled around swinging the axe and managed to get Ken on his face. He was far away enough to not have killed him, but close enough to have scratched his face up even more. Felix then kept running until he stumbled through the tree line, relieved to see Chan there. 

He didn’t think about how lucky he had gotten that day. Lucky to have escaped, to have met up with Chan, and for Woojin and Changbin to have found them when they did. All he could think about were the unlucky parts. The fact that that herd caught up to them again, that out of all people he could’ve encountered, that it was those two, that he was about to be cooked and eaten by them, that he was almost killed by a zombie. 

For the first three weeks, that’s all he could think about. He’d wake up in a cold sweat and Changbin would wake up with him and groggily try to coax him back to sleep but then in the midst of all of those nightmares, he had a good dream. 

An unachievable good dream, he knew, but it lifted his spirits. The nine of them were gathered around a dinner table that fit them perfectly, eating a mass amount of food, cooked meat, perfectly cooked pasta, cans of Coke and beer passed around, sounds of laughter and with Changbin sitting next to him offering him his first bite of the food, for a moment it felt real. He would think that waking up to the real world would bring him down even more but it didn’t. It just made him realize how much he wants for that to one day be as close to a reality as possible.

So, he had a new drive. Not just survive to survive but survive to see the good days again.

 

 

“This must be it.” Woojin announced as he turned into the hardware store. “Changbin said the garden section is wide open so we should go in through here.” Woojin took the time to back the car up into the entrance of the garden section.

“Okay, let’s run through our jobs. Minho and Felix, you’re looking for batteries, flashlights, knives, hammers, things like that. Grab whatever you think will be useful. Chan and I will look for insulation material and ways to attach it to the windows. Anything else we should get?”

“Might as well get some gardening tools. It will make everything easier.” Chan said looking at the gardening section through the side mirrors.

“All right. Everyone be careful. Remember, no running off without your partner.” Woojin said, glancing at Chan before getting out of the car. 

 

The pairs went their separate ways when they entered the store. Chan and Woojin looked for the aisle they might find what they were looking for, grabbing two carts along the way.

“How the hell is there still power here?” Chan thought as the lights were still on.”

“Must be generators.”

“It’s been months though, shouldn’t it be dead?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know how generators work.” Chan sighed and followed Woojin as they went down an aisle.

“You think we need nails?” Woojin grabbed a random box of nails.

“Who knows? Put it in the cart.” Woojin shrugged and threw it in his cart.

As they wheeled down aisles, Chan thought that it felt weird. It felt…normal…domestic almost. Going down a store and ‘shopping’ though they weren’t paying for these things. Chan wondered if the world ever went back to normal, maybe even after their lifetime, how they’ll go about restoring the economy. 

“Chan?” Chan looked up and saw Woojin holding a few lollipops in his hand. Chan looked next to him and saw a stand of single lollipops of different flavors.

“I don’t know if they’re still good but maybe the kids will like these.” Woojin handed him some. “Put them in your pocket.” Chan took them and put them in his front pockets. “It’ll be a surprise.” They continued down an aisle.

“Why do you call them ‘the kids’? It sounds like you mean ‘our’ kids.” Chan said. Woojin shrugged.

“We’re the oldest and the same age. In a way, they are our kids.”

“Only Jeongin is underage though.”

“Hush, they’re babies.” Chan scoffed with a smile, the first one he’s shown in a while. 

“Speaking of ‘the kids’, It’s Felix’s birthday soon.” Chan mentioned, grabbing a few rolls of gorilla tape.

“Mm…I think Jisung said his birthday was this month as well.”

“What do you think we should do for them?”

“You wanna do something?” Chan shrugged.

“Yeah, I mean, we could use some normalcy. Why not celebrate their birthdays?” 

“Hmm…I guess. Let’s make a cake. Out of whatever we have in the pantry.”

“We’ll use the lollipops as candles.” Woojin smiled.

“I think they’ll love that.” Chan agreed. It was silent for a while before they finally found where the pink insulation was.

“Here we are. I think if we get two or three of these it should be enough.” Chan said picking one up and trying to see just how much there was in one roll.

“What if we just get the foam board ones?” Woojin said walking a little bit further down to see big foam insulation boards.

“Yeah, those could work too. They’d look neater, too.”

“Let’s just get a bunch and put them in the car and come back.”

They did just that, taking maybe a little more than they needed but they thought that they would double or triple layer downstairs if they had to.

“All right, we got what we needed. What else should we get?” Woojin said as they both began rolling their now empty carts down aisles again.

“I’ve been thinking…we should make the house look nicer.” 

“How?” Chan shrugged. The hardware store had a section of home décor stuff. Mostly outdoor furniture that they wouldn’t be able to fit in the car. But Chan found a few shelves with fairy lights. Battery powered fairy lights.

“Should we get these? It’ll be better than the candles and it’d be cool for Christmas.” Woojin smiled and nodded.

“Let’s get them.”

“Colorful or white?”

“Let’s get both.” They got several boxes of the 9ft long fairy lights knowing they’ll need a lot to light up the living room or any room really.

“Let’s make sure we have enough batteries. We also can’t be leaving them on all night or anything. We need to preserve—”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. We can’t be wasteful. We got it.” Woojin rolled his eyes as Chan cut him off.

“Fine. What else?” Chan shrugged once again. After a few minutes of mindlessly going through the home décor section, Chan asked what he’s been meaning to for a while now.

“You know, we’ve all told at least some part of our story yet you haven’t told us anything.” Woojin glanced at Chan before going back to pretending to be interested in the outdoor grills lined up side by side.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do, Woojin.” Chan said, sitting down on one of the outdoor couches displayed in the center of the wide walkway. They were in front of the gardening section, a spot where they all agreed to meet up at when they were done.

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know. Anything.”

“Hi. I’m Kim Woojin, I’m 23, born in—”

“Woojin, I’m serious.”

“I’m telling you about me and you’re cutting me off. What do you want from me?”

“If you’re not going to take me seriously, then—”

“Fine, fine.” Woojin stopped Chan from standing up and instead, chose to join him.

“You want me to tell you about what happened before you met me?” Chan nodded.

“Okay. I was alone. I’ve been alone. I’ve barely encountered anybody and whoever I have seen, they ignored me, didn’t help me, they drove past me, acted as if I was invisible.”

“You weren’t with anyone in the beginning of this?” Chan asked him, surprised to learn that.

Woojin took a moment to answer as those memories came back to him. He’s been desperately trying to shove them back thinking that it was useless to go back to those times. They would only make him lose grip of his emotions and that’s not something he needed. He was taught that emotions get in the way of getting the job done. His father taught him that. Way before the apocalypse was ever a thing. He was only 10 years with a baseball bat in his hand, anticipating the ball being thrown at him. He always thought that that mindset would only work in sports but when the apocalypse happened, he learned that it was the mindset he should always have. He hasn’t been doing too well with that lately.

“I was…at home…in my parent’s house. When the outbreak happened, we had to leave. We were right in the middle of the city and people were turning left and right and we almost got away. All of us. My mother was snatched from my father’s arms. And all I could think about was what my father told me. ‘Don’t focus on what keeps you from getting to your goal.’ It used to be something he’d tell me when I was playing sports but I realized, he spent 10 years drilling that into my mind and I’ve been unconsciously using that idea with everything I’ve ever done. I never felt emotionally attached to anything or anyone because he told me that if I do, I’ll never make it, it’ll make me lose my focus and it’ll be taken from me.

And I saw then how he didn’t even follow that rule and he tried getting her back and he got caught too. I left them like that, with bite marks all over them, screaming in pain. I felt nothing until I was alone. I was disgusted with myself that I was so selfish to leave them like that. It’s not like he even told me to go and save myself, I just…left. Without ever looking back.” It was quiet between the two. Woojin’s brain going crazy over the memories and emotions that he’s been bottling up and storing away.

“When you came to the diner, I almost didn’t let you in. You were just a random person. You didn’t mean anything to me. You’ll only slow me down. But I saw you screaming and you were so terrified and that was the same look my mother had when she tried reaching for my father to help her.” Chan was shocked to hear his story. Woojin always seemed closed off and strong to Chan but he didn’t think it was because he was in a way, brainwashed to think and be that way.

“I tried to convince myself to not care about you especially when we met Minho and Jisung. I was planning to leave you guys as soon as night came but we weren’t secure and then we had to run away and then Changbin beat me up and you took care of me. So many things happened that stopped me from leaving and I finally just thought to myself, why am I so adamant on leaving? What would I gain from it? A life where I’m constantly on the run, being ignored by people, breaking into places to try and get food, sleeping on the tallest tree I could find. What kind of life is that? I may have survived this long but if I kept going like that, I would’ve driven myself insane. I had nothing and no one to live for, and I would quickly understand the intensity of that aspect.” When he stopped talking, Woojin realized that he might’ve overshared. But upon remembering who he was oversharing to, he didn’t mind as much. Woojin slumped down more in his seat.

“That’s the most I’ve ever heard you speak about yourself.”

“I never really thought there was much to say.” Chan sighed and put a hand on Woojin’s right cheek and leaned in to kiss his left.

“Thank you for opening up to me.”

“You know that’s the first time you’ve kissed me in weeks.” Woojin glanced at him before looking back down.

“You want me to kiss you more often? I will.” Chan kissed him one more time to help his point.

“I’d appreciate that.” Woojin smiled softly.

“All I ask is that you kiss me back.” Chan heard Woojin’s breath get caught. It was a small little gasp but Woojin quickly recovered. He pecked Chan’s cheek before looking away. Chan chuckled.

“We’ll get there.” Woojin shook his head after Chan dropped his hand. 

“So that’s me. You told me about you before but we still need to talk about you now.” Chan’s smile dropped.

“Can we talk about that later?”

“Only if you promise me that the next time I bring it up, we will actually talk about it.”

“Fine.” Chan sighed.

“Okay, then.” They stayed in a comfortable silence until they began hearing the carts and running footsteps. Chan and Woojin got up quickly and took their own carts to the front of the gardening section doors and found Minho and Felix running down an aisle with grins on their faces.

“Hyung! Look what we found!” Felix said with his eye smile and turned to point at Minho’s cart.

“A paint set!” Minho held up two sets of painting material packs for children. It had its own little tubes of paints with shitty brushes and a booklet of drawings to paint. Chan and Woojin tried holding back their laugh.

“Not our kids, huh?” Woojin whispered in Chan’s ear as they began going back to the car. Chan smiled and playfully pushed Woojin. Yes, their kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so a bitch nearly broke her ankle while singing the theme song to fairy odd parents :D :D it still hurts :D :D smiling thru the pain :D :D
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> fun fact: i actually did break my ankle once but my parents didn't believe me so i was hopping around on one foot for like a week until fiNALLy i was taken to the clinic. :D :D


	37. Minsung/Woochan

Changbin was the first to yank the front door open as the car began backing up on top of the grass and getting closer to the front door. This was their first successful run with more than one person involved and Changbin was over the moon.

His excitedness dwindled a little when the backdoor opened and Felix faceplanted onto the floor after being pushed out of it.

“Lix!” Changbin went over to him and helped him up.

“We need a bigger car, damn it.” He groaned as he got back up on his feet. Changbin looked into the car to see Minho getting out from the backseat to reveal that the back was completely packed with stuff.

“I had to sit on Minho hyung’s lap the entire time and let me tell you…he’s soft…but he kept pushing me around.” Felix glared at Minho.

“You have something in your pocket that was stabbing me in the leg. At least you don’t weigh that much or I would’ve tied you to the roof.” Minho said, finally getting out and running off somewhere around the car as Woojin and Chan began unloading the trunk along with Seungmin and Hyunjin.

“Minho! Where’s Minho?” Jisung ran out of the house with a smile on his face.

“He was here.” Woojin said confused looking around both sides of the car. “Where is he?”

“Minho!” Jisung called out to him.

“Oh my god, can’t a guy take a piss in peace?” Jisung turned around to see Minho hiding behind a bush, doing his business.

“In this household, there is no peace.” Jisung said walking closer to him. If it were anybody else, it would be awkward but as Minho and Jisung held eye contact while Minho finished peeing and exchanged no words, they proceeded like it was something normal that people do. 

“I want to show you something.” Jisung said in a cuter voice as he wrapped his arms around Minho’s waist.

“What is it?” Minho couldn’t help but begin to smile.

“It’s a secret.” Jisung whispered, putting a finger to his lips.

“Fine, but I have to help unload some things first. Look!” Minho grabbed one of the paint sets that was on top of the stack of things that Chan had gathered in his hands. “Art!...stuff.” Minho handed the set to Jisung who snickered.

“Why did you get this?”

“I don’t know. There’s not much to do around here and these were the only two that I found. It’s something new and fun to do. Why not?” Jisung nodded.

“Okay, I guess. Now hurry, let’s finish so I can show you!”

In the end, the whole process took longer than Jisung had hoped. Chan said they should take inventory of what they have so they always know what they could use later on.

They had gotten a few tents, a few more sleeping bags, the lovely paint sets, several packs of battery powered fairy lights, several packs of batteries, lighters, oil lamps, the foam insulation boards, nails, hammers, knives, scissors, metal water bottles that held more than the average water bottle, and a few miscellaneous things.

By the time they were done, the sun was about to set and Chan had given Hyunjin and Jeongin the task of putting up the fairy lights. While everyone was distracted with setting up dinner and the lights, Jisung grabbed Minho’s hand and brought him upstairs.

“I don’t know if you noticed or not but our bed isn’t downstairs anymore.” Minho didn’t realize but he hummed as a response while Jisung led him to the last room down the hall.

“This isn’t the biggest room but it’s the furthest one so…” Jisung was blushing as he put his back to the door and reached behind him blindly to grab the door handle. Minho began smirking.

“Show me, love.” Jisung opened the door to reveal the carpeted room and some kind of fort made out of blankets in the middle of the room against a wall. The blankets made a slit on one side with bag clips to reveal their mattress and several random pillows on it with their usual amount of blankets.

“Ta-daaa.” Jisung gestured at his masterpiece with his hands, jazz hands to be exact.

“Whoa…how the hell did you do this? What’s holding it up?” The blankets went up to around Minho’s chest and they were sturdy.

“I made a thing with the bunk beds. I just joined some of the planks to fit around our bed. Do you like it?” Jisung was biting his lip nervously.

“I love it, baby. Of course, I do. We have our own little room again. And this looks really nice and comfortable. Maybe Chan will let us have some fairy lights to put around the bed, too.” Minho smiled at him before gathering him into his arms.

“Changbin hyung almost moved up here too but I convinced him not to. At least not yet.”

“I mean he can. I don’t mind an audience.” Minho kissed Jisung’s neck as he held him tighter. Jisung giggled.

“I know you don’t. But tonight, it can only be me and you.” Jisung guided the other’s lips to his and kissed him slowly. Minho’s hands began to wander and they both realized then how much they missed it. How much they missed touching each other this way, kissing each other this way. Minho missed putting his hands up Jisung’s shirt to feel how small and smooth his waist was in a sensual way. Jisung missed running his hands down Minho’s chest until they rested at his belt loops.

They definitely didn’t miss being interrupted by a bunch of loud boys but that was their reality as Chan and Woojin barged into the room. They pulled apart but not too far apart as they turned to look at them. Chan’s face turned beet red in a second while Woojin looked away uncomfortably, revealing his reddening neck and ears. 

“Can we help you?” Minho smiled at them a little too sweetly to be genuine.

“U-uhm…we were looking at all the windows we’d need to cover with the—with the insulation. Um, boards. Yeah, so, you guys are staying here?” Chan glanced around the emptied room.

“Yeah, we figured we shouldn’t dive headfirst into exhibitionism just yet.” Jisung smacked Minho’s chest before hiding his face in it. Chan and Woojin coughed in shock as Minho giggled.

“Okay, you’re in charge of insulating that window. We’re leaving. Bye.” Chan shoved Woojin out of the room and slammed the door shut.

“You’re insufferable.” Jisung whined into Minho’s chest.

“What? It’s fun seeing them flustered.” Minho kept giggling.

“Whatever. Let’s just finish setting up the room before it gets too dark.” Minho grabbed Jisung’s face in between his hands and gave him one big fat kiss before leaving the room to get the insulation boards. Jisung shook his head and sighed.

“That boy…one day, he’s gonna drive me overboard…”

 

“I think we should try to find a way to not use too many. It’ll be a pain in the ass trying to turn every single one of them on every night.” Jeongin said as he looked at the three strings of lights that they already put up and turned on. It drenched the room in a reddish glow despite the blue, green, and yellow bulbs in it as well. Maybe the setting sun also had a play in it but it was quickly being covered up by Woojin as he taped the insulation boards to the windows. Yes, taping because it was all they had and it would also allow them to take them off every now and then to let some natural light in if it wasn’t too cold outside.

“Hmm… Okay, so one on this wall, one on that one, and that one and then that’s it for the living room. The kitchen…we’ll just use a candle. We’re not there a lot. Then for the hallway we put one or two up and we turn them on when we need them.” Hyunjin suggested. Jeongin nodded.

“Okay, sounds good.” As they worked on that, Seungmin worked with Felix and Changbin to find places for their new things.

“Why the tents?” Changbin asked Chan. Chan shrugged and pointed at Felix. 

“Him and Minho got them.” Changbin looked at Felix who looked sheepish.

“Minho hyung and I just thought we could use them for privacy, you know.” Changbin blushed, accepting the answer while Seungmin questioned it.

“What privacy though? Maybe we wouldn’t be able to see you but we could still hear you.”

“Not if we kick you outside.” Changbin joked. Seungmin glared at him playfully before continuing to stack things that are the same while Changbin and Felix put them away somewhere.

“I’m going to clear out some closets to put these things in.” Felix said, standing up from the where he was sitting cross legged on the floor and grabbed the new flashlight that they got.

“Don’t go in the last room in the hall. That’s Minho and Jisung’s room now and God knows what they’re doing in there.” Chan warned him. Felix cringed just a tiny bit before going upstairs with caution. Luckily that door was open and he could see Jisung taping up some string lights. 

 

“Seungmin-ah, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about last night.”

“Don’t worry about it, hyung. I think I just let my emotions and thoughts get the best of me. Jeongin already talked to me and I feel better now. I promise.” Changbin couldn’t tell if Seungmin was lying or not about being fine but he also didn’t want to make Seungmin think that he couldn’t trust him.

“Okay, if you say so. But, listen, if you ever feel like that again or you just want someone to talk to, I’m here. I’ll tell everyone not to bother us so it’s just us if you want me to.” Seungmin nodded with a small smile.

“Thank you, hyung. I’ll keep that in mind.” Changbin nodded and just like that, it’s like a switch flipped and they went back to normal, like it never happened.

 

“This tape…is like cement or something.” Woojin spoke out loud as he taped the insulation boards to the windows in the dining room with Chan.

“That’s what we want.” Chan said, struggling to tape up the gap towards the top.

“I got it, Channie. Can you finish this one?” Chan sighed and put his arms back down and switched places with Woojin. Chan watched as Woojin didn’t even have to go on his tippy toes to reach the top part of the window.

“Show off.” Chan mumbled from his crouched position as he finished up the bottom part.

“What was that?” Woojin asked him. 

“Hmm? I didn’t say anything.” He said.

“Yes, you did.” Woojin smirked as he crouched down next to him.

“You’re, like, really close.” Chan tilted his head back while Woojin just kept moving closer.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Woojin tilted his head to the side.

“…Not really.” Woojin paused.

“Really?” Chan struggled to come up with a response. When Woojin’s eyes fell to Chan’s lips, Chan felt like his brain short circuited. Is this really happening right now? Does he want it to happen? He can’t remember the last time he kissed someone. Well he can, but he barely remembered how it felt like. Are they going to? Woojin was moving closer and without realizing it, so was Chan. But of course, moments like these seldom last.

“Damn it, Hyunjin-ah! You got yellow paint all over the rug!” Changbin’s loud voice rung in the house.

“These tubes are tiny! I’m sorry!” 

Woojin sighed and dipped his chin down. He was so close that a few strands of his hair touched Chan’s lips. That’s when Chan noticed he had been holding his breath.

“We should finish the windows.” Woojin said, beginning to stand up.

“We already have. These were the last ones, at least downstairs.” Chan mentioned. Woojin thought about it, and he was right.

“Oh, then let’s get everyone together for dinner.” Woojin offered Chan a hand which the latter took. But before Woojin could turn around and walk away, Chan kissed him on the cheek.

“I really hope we try that again, maybe when’s it’s quieter.” Chan’s heart was beating a mile a minute as he walked around Woojin, pretending to have said what he said confidently but he was shitting bricks. What if Woojin didn’t actually want to and it was just a spur of the moment type things? Then Chan had made a fool of himself. But little did he know, Woojin was on the same boat as him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeoreobuunnnnn we're nearly at the end of this wild ride nsdjvnkew
> 
>  
> 
> also i don't know where these roaches are coming from but tell me why i've eliminated at least one roach each day for the past 4 days...i'm losing my mind


	38. HyunInMin/Minsung/Woochan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slighhhttt sexy time

Seungmin lowkey expected Jeongin to forget about what he told him that morning. But when he got back in the living room after brushing his teeth in the bathroom, he found Hyunjin on the twin, Jeongin on the other side of the double and an empty space in between them. Jeongin waved at him with a smile before beckoning him over.

“I brought a few extra blankets to make sure we all stay warm.” Hyunjin said when he noticed Seungmin walking over. He began stretching out the blankets and layering them where they cut off until it reached all the way to Jeongin.

“Oh, all?” He said. Hyunjin nodded and looked at him.

“We’re all sleeping together right?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah.” He said after Jeongin gave him a timid smile.

“Come lay down.” Hyunjin patted the spot in between them. “I turned the mattresses around so there wouldn’t be a weird gap here in between us.” Hyunjin said and that’s when Seungmin realized that the double was flipped to the side and the twin was at the bottom to make it wide enough for all of them to fit together. 

Seungmin decided not to question it anymore and crawled into the spot in between them. Hyunjin held up the blankets for Seungmin to get under and once he did, the awkward struggle of finding a way to cuddle comfortably commenced.

Seungmin stayed stick straight for a solid few seconds until he turned over onto his side so he was facing Jeongin. Jeongin was already facing him and he began to blush, thankful that the red glow of the string lights masked it. But then behind Seungmin, Hyunjin began whining.

“Wait, I like being the little spoon.” Seungmin sighed but the corners of his mouth twitched, struggling to hold back a smile. Seungmin turned to his other side to see Hyunjin smile at him before he turned his back to Seungmin. He hesitatingly put his arm around Hyunjin. Why did he like being the little spoon if he was so big. Maybe Jeongin should be in Seungmin’s spot. But then Jeongin put his arm around him and reached over to Hyunjin. Hyunjin moved backwards until they all were flushed together. Seungmin was very warm which at the time was comforting but he knew he would probably start sweating in the middle of the night. He chose to ignore it for the time being and let himself get comfortable enough to fall asleep.

 

 

Upstairs, Minho and Jisung looked over their room. The window was now completely covered up but Jisung painted a lopsided rainbow with the paint tubes that they brought and the fairy lights made up for the loss of lighting. It also made their fort look even more inviting.

“This is perfect for us. Don’t you think, babe?” Jisung said, watching as Minho closed the door. Jisung giggled every time he saw how Minho had taped the leftover insulation boards onto it claiming that it’ll soundproof their room a little more.

“I do. Let’s get in. Come.” Minho grabbed Jisung’s hand and dragged him over to their bed. He lifted the blanket curtain to allow Jisung to go in first, which he did after taking his socks off and Minho crawled in after him, removing his socks first as well. Minho made sure the blankets didn’t leave a slit before he laid down next to Jisung. They had put a second string of lights on the inside so they could see.

“I love this. I feel like I’m 6 years old again.” Jisung said. Minho smiled and looked over at his boyfriend. He looked so calm and beautiful. Minho wondered for the nth time how in the world he managed to find a person like him.

“Thank you, Jisungie.” Jisung smiled before looking back at him.

“Thank you, too, Minho.” After staring at each other for a while, taking in their features as if they don’t already know every single freckle and imperfection the other has, Minho turned to his side and hovered over Jisung.

“You know,…sometimes I just want to prove to you that sex isn’t all I think or care about because it isn’t. But every time we have sex, it means something to me. I never want you to think it doesn’t. There’s something about the way you give in to me and I give in to you. You’re gorgeous, baby. And all I ever want to do is show my love to you.” Jisung’s eyes got teary but a tear hadn’t fallen yet.

“I know. Even when you don’t say it out loud, I know.” Jisung pushed himself up until he reached Minho’s lips. Minho followed him back down, never breaking their kiss as he lifted Jisung’s legs to wrap them around his waist. He loved how Jisung looked under him. His hair flat against the pillow, his cheeks looking slightly fuller, and which how close Minho was to him, his eyes sometimes looked cross eyed which to anyone, it might make them laugh but to Minho, it made his heart beat fast because that meant all Jisung wants to do in that moment is look at him and only him.

When Minho broke the kiss, the both of them were panting. Jisung refused to let Minho get too far so he hooked his ankles together behind Minho’s back and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

“We haven’t made love since we left the apartment.” Minho whispered as his kisses trailed down to his cheeks and then over to his neck. Jisung hummed before his breath got caught when Minho’s cold hands travelled up his shirt.

“That feels like so long ago.” Jisung managed to get out.

“Mm…we should change that.” Minho bit his lip, anticipating what Jisung was going to do next. And it sure happened. Jisung unhooked his ankles and pushed Minho back until Jisung was now on top.

“For a bottom, you sure love to be on top.” Minho said, putting his hands under his head.

“Shut the fuck up.” Jisung chuckled, putting his hands on Minho’s chest. He looked down at him for a moment. He loved how Minho always knew how to make him laugh even in times where they probably shouldn’t. He was so grateful to have him.

“Actually,” Jisung begun, sliding off of Minho to lay on his back again. Minho looked at him, more in concern than anything.

“I want you on top of me this time.” Jisung blushed and although it was one of the hottest things Jisung has said to him in a while, Minho grinned and felt the hugest urge to be affectionate towards him in every way possible. So, he wrapped Jisung’s legs around him once more and began showering him in kisses. Jisung giggled before trapping Minho’s lips to his. 

“Don’t be cute when you’re about to put your dick in me.” Jisung said softly to him. Minho scoffed in slight surprise.

“As you wish, my love.”

 

 

Down the hallway, Chan sat in the first room upstairs, looking out the only window that had no insulation. Jeongin insisted they keep that one free to look out of. Chan could really feel the difference between downstairs and up there in terms of how cold it was.

He was sitting on a foldable chair that they got from the hardware store and quite frankly, it was not the most comfortable but it forced Chan to not fall asleep just yet.

It was quiet for the first time since he woke up. He thought about the past couple of weeks and what they got that day. They had food and water, they had blankets, they had insulation, they had beds, they had a whole house, weapons, entertainment, each other. They had each other. Chan couldn’t imagine where he would be if he hadn’t met Woojin. If they hadn’t met Minho and Jisung. If they hadn’t met Jeongin and Changbin. Met back up with Felix and then Seungmin and Hyunjin. Chan would go to the end of the world with them. It was funny how that worked, how the world had to end for him to find them. But, he couldn’t ask for anything more or different. He was content for the first time in a long time.

“There you are.” Chan looked over his shoulder to see Woojin at the doorway, holding two blankets.

“Here I am. What are you doing up?”

“Your side of the bed was cold.” Chan blushed. They had been sleeping on the sleeping bags next to each other when Chan left to sit up there.

“Sorry, I was feeling a little…restless, I guess.” He said as Woojin began setting up the second folding chair that was on the floor.

“Anything on your mind?”

“Not really anything bad. I’m just thinking of how far we’ve come. Jeongin said that plants are starting to grow buds. Which is good ‘cause Winter’s approaching and we can’t really afford to have nothing all winter.”

“We have a lot. And if we run out, we’ll get more. But we’re okay for now. It’s not bad to find comfort in that.” Woojin said before wrapping one of the blankets around Chan’s shoulders. Chan leaned into Woojin’s chest as he did so. Woojin froze not really wanting to push him away but having to in order to bring his chair closer. He brought Chan back into his arms after he did so.

“You ever think…about what would’ve happened if we hadn’t met? Or like, if you hadn’t opened the door for me?”

“If I’m honest, I’m not sure if I would’ve cared that much if I hadn’t opened the door. I would’ve still slept the same.” Chan looked offended.

“I told you how I was before, okay? Don’t judge me.”

“Why did you open the door for me then?” 

“I told you why. You reminded me of my mom.”

“But you said you didn’t hesitate to run away when it was your mom and your dad. Why did you hesitate with me?” Woojin shrugged.

“I felt like shit for leaving them and I guess in a way, I thought I could redeem myself if I saved you, so…”

“Aren’t you glad you did?” Chan smiled cheekily at him.

“No. ‘Cause you led me to a house with 7 children.”

“ _Our_ children.” Chan said jokingly but Woojin smiled warmly.

“It really feels like it, huh?” Chan hummed as he nodded.

“We’re like the parents.”

“I’m the dad, you’re the mom.” Woojin pointed at them respectively.

“Clearly, we’re both the dads.”

“You’re right. Two dads, 7 boys. How have we survived this long?”

“We sort of balance each other out, don’t you think? I’m a little chaotic, you’re a little systematic. Perfect mix.” Woojin smiled before pulling away enough to look at him properly.

“Remember what you said to me earlier today?”

“What? I said a lot of things to you.”

“When we were putting the boards up…”

“You have to be a bit more specific, Woojin-ah.”

“You know…when we nearly kissed.” Woojin mumbled a little but Chan heard him perfectly.

“Ah! And?” Woojin sighed in slight annoyance.

“You know what, I take it back.” Woojin pulled away from him.

“Take what back? You didn’t even do anything yet!” Chan laughed and tried to get Woojin to wrap his arm around him again. “Woojinie!” The more Chan spoke to him cutely, the harder it became Woojin to hold back. But then he remembered Chan saying to try again when it was quiet. It was quiet enough. So, when Chan brought his face closer to Woojin to mess with him some more, Woojin turned his head and immediately felt the butterflies in his chest when their lips met. He wished it lasted longer than it did but Chan flinched and pulled away, not expecting that to happen.

Woojin watched as Chan brought a hand up to his mouth.

“Tell me that wasn’t an accident.”

“It wasn’t. Kind of wish it last longer than that but…” Woojin was rubbing the back of his neck nervously while Chan had a full blown breakdown.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! I didn’t expect that. Damn it, I ruined it, didn’t I? Shit,” Woojin watched as Chan pouted to himself.

“I’ll forgive you if you start it this time.” Chan froze.

“W-what?”

“Yeah, I mean, I can’t be the only one to initiate a kiss, right? That’d kinda s—” Chan cut him off by kissing him softly. A little too softly. Woojin put a hand behind Chan’s head and gently pulled him closer. Chan had intertwined his own hands and tried to keep himself calm enough to not start giggling with how many butterflies were tickling his stomach. Eventually the kiss ended and Chan immediately hugged Woojin to him and hid his face in his neck. Woojin chuckled but hugged him back.

“Don’t laugh at me,” Chan whined.

“I’m not. I’m just really happy, Channie. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while but I could never find the right time.” 

“That’s okay. We finally did it. Does that mean I can kiss you whenever now?” Chan asked him shyly.

“I hope so. Because I’m not kissing anyone else anytime soon.”

“Good. You better not.” Chan playfully glared at him before shyly dropping another kiss to his lips. Woojin smiled.

“You’re the only one for me, Channie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lowkey crinnggeee when did i become so sappY
> 
> so, breaking news on my roach extravaganza. my friend alerted me of a unique technique on how to eliminate them from the souRCE. I'll let you know if it works.
> 
> also, lowkey almost didn't post today. ya girl is hella tired but here is this super sappy chapter
> 
>  
> 
> UPDATE ON THE ROACH EXTRAVAGANZA ALLFRICKINGREADY: we have our first victim. more updates at 11.


	39. Woochan/HyunInMin

“How do you think they’ll react if we just kiss out of nowhere in front of them?” Woojin thought out loud in the morning. The two of them brought their sleeping bags upstairs and slept there, despite of the few degrees difference.

“I feel like Jeongin’s going to freak out the most. I might never hear the end of it from Felix.” Chan smiled despite of it.

“I wish I could record their reactions to see it after.”

“So that’s how you want to break it to ‘em? By ripping the band aid off?” Chan flipped over to his stomach and lifted himself up enough to look at Woojin properly.

“Yeah, it’d be fun, wouldn’t it?” 

“You never asked me though?” Chan cursed his cheeks for blushing.

“Ask you what? How you wanna do it?”

“No, not that. The other thing.” Woojin racked his brain for what question he forgot to ask.

“Woojin, oh my god.” Chan dropped down on his stomach.

“What is it, Channie?” Woojin rolled over to lay half of his body on him.

“We just kissed. That’s all we did.” Chan turned his face to look at him, not minding how much closer they were now.

“Did that not mean anything to you?” Woojin was misunderstanding Chan.

“Of course, it meant something to me or else I wouldn’t have kept kissing you. Felix told me that Changbin never officially asked him to be his boyfriend and that he didn’t mind but…I want you to ask me. Make it official.”

“Why didn’t you ask me then?” Chan couldn’t think of an answer to that.

“Oh…” Woojin chuckled. “I guess I could’ve.”

“I’ll ask you. Maybe not just yet, though.” Woojin smirked and let go of Chan.

“You’re such an asshole.” Chan flicked Woojin’s shoulder. Woojin giggled before holding onto him again.

“I think now’s a good a time as any.” Woojin pushed Chan’s overgrown hair away from his face.

“You need a haircut.” Woojin mentioned.

“Don’t change the subject.” Chan whined.

“Fine. Channie, I don’t want to just ask you without explaining myself to you, first. You’re always the first one to ask me if I’m okay, the first one to hug me after a run, the first one who found me and didn’t ignore me. Granted I could’ve ignored you but you followed me. And I thought about leaving you guys too. I don’t know why you even want to be with someone who thinks like that.”

“Who _thought_ like that. You’re not like that anymore. I can see it in you when we work as a group. You wouldn’t leave any of us behind if you had the chance.” Woojin nodded but he still didn’t feel the best.

“Still. You took a chance with me. You took care of me. I’m still scared that I won’t be able to do as much for you even if I try. I mean, I couldn’t even be there for you these last few weeks. I just kept getting mad and it wasn’t working. You deserve someone who could understand you better.”

“But you do. I don’t know what was going through my head. I think I just…I don’t even know. But I don’t blame you for it. I know I got mad at you too and you were just trying to help me.”

“We’re kind of fucked up aren’t we?” Chan hummed.

“It’s a unique situation to start a relationship in.” Woojin agreed.

“But I’m willing to start one if you are.” Woojin told him.

“So am I.”

“So…Channie, will you be my boyfriend? Even if I tend to close myself off sometimes and get frustrated with you too often?” Chan chuckled.

“I’d be stupid to reject you. Even though this fight was mostly my fault, you still blame yourself.”

“Mmm, I don’t know about mostly. I think ‘all’ would be a better word.” 

“Hey! I take it back. Be single forever, asshole.” Chan went to stand up but Woojin pulled him back down.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” Woojin laughed. “I’m sorry, Channie. I really like you. I want to be with you.” Chan softened at Woojin’s confession and couldn’t help the blush that returned to his face.

“I really like you, too.” Chan leaned down and kissed him. It still felt weird that he can now do so freely whenever he wanted to instead of having to hold back. Chan doesn’t think he’ll ever get over it.

“Channie-hyung?” He heard before a loud gasp filled the room. Woojin and Chan jumped apart and sat up, looking towards the door to see Jeongin with his mouth wide open looking shocked but ecstatic.

“Jeongin, wait,” Chan was cut off by the boy himself.

“Oh my god! Hyunjinnie! Seungminnie! You won’t believe what I just saw!” Woojin and Chan facepalmed as they heard the boy room down the stairs while simultaneously laughing and yelling.

“So much for our plan.”

“We did say we’d rip the band aid. I think we did that.” Chan say as he begun standing up. The boys downstairs began yelling. As the two got to the hallway, the door at the end of the hall opened up to reveal Minho fixing his shirt with Jisung behind him doing the same with his own.

“What’s happening? Did something happen?” Minho asked, looking alert not knowing why there was so much screaming.

“Nothing happened, they’re just being loud. I’ll go shut them up.” Woojin said, walking past Chan and sneakily giving him a wink before going down the stairs. Chan looked back at the other two and smirked at their messy appearance.

“Have a nice night?” Jisung blushed and hid behind Minho.

“Hell yeah. Never gets old.” Minho smirked back and laughed when Jisung shoved him out the door. 

“Can we just go eat? What’s in the agenda today, hyung?” Jisung asked Chan as he walked over to him.

“Not sure. I think we can take it slow today. It’s been a while.” Chan patted Jisung’s back and followed the two of them down the stairs where the ruckus started all over again as soon as they saw Chan. Jeongin stood in the back as Hyunjin and Changbin ran up to him and began teasing him. Felix and Seungmin stood in front of them and laughed while Jisung and Minho looked on, confused. Minho turned to Woojin who was in the kitchen trying to look busy setting up breakfast but Woojin just shook his head and ignored it.

“What did we miss?” Jisung asked.

“Channie hyung and Woojin hyung are together!” Felix pointed at them.

“I found them kissing! It was gross!” Jeongin cringed but didn’t drop his laughter. Jisung’s mouth dropped and Minho tilted his head back in laughter.

“Ah, hyung! You should’ve locked the door like we did.” 

“I’ll remember that next time. Now get off of me. You guys didn’t make your beds. Go, hurry before breakfast is ready.” Chan tried pushing them towards their beds and slowly they let go of him and followed directions.

“You sounded like such a dad just then.” Felix joked as he grabbed a blanket to fold.

“Shut up,” Chan laughed before walking over to the kitchen and back hugging Woojin. 

“They’re staring at us.” Woojin whispered after patting Chan’s interlocked hands on his abdomen.

“It’s gonna be awkward for a while. Felix just called me a dad. It’s like seeing your parents flirting with each other.” Woojin chuckled as he poured the last of the canned food into the 9th bowl.

“Here. This one’s yours.” Woojin handed him his bowl.

“Thank you.” Chan smiled at him, accepting the bowl.

“How cute!”  
“I’m gonna throw up.”  
“Channie hyung’s blushing!”  
“Look at Woojin hyung’s ears!”

As the boys laughed on Chan and Woojin gave each other a look.

“It’s going to be a long day.” 

 

 

Around mid-afternoon, they were all in the middle of changing things up around the house. They prepared it for any possible intrusion of any kind and hid weapons under every table. 

Seungmin had been in one of the four rooms upstairs clearing out the closets. He separated the clothes that could fit them by category and then put the rest in a box that they found so they could store away in the garage. 

Eventually he was joined by Hyunjin who gave him a smile as he sat on his knees next to him.

“How’s it going?” 

“Fine. There are so many dresses in this closet.”

“Mm. Jeongin’s grandmother must have loved wearing them.” Hyunjin took one out of the box and looked at the pattern.

“It’s weird. Like this house isn’t just a random house. This was Jeongin’s grandparents’ house. Someone he knew personally. And we’re just living in it, boarding it up and throwing their stuff away.”

“No matter what house we would’ve stayed in, we would still be doing the same. Still changing and throwing away people’s stuff.”

“I know. It’s just weird to think that.” Hyunjin agreed. Eventually Seungmin ran out of clothes to organize but they stayed sat on the floor.

“Um, Seungmin? There’s something I want to talk about but I’m extremely nervous to do so.”

“Why? Where’s Jeongin?”

“He’s downstairs but no. I just want to talk to you only. At least right now i-if that’s okay?” Seungmin looked confused but he nodded anyways.

“Okay, so hear me out first before you start thinking things.” Hyunjin cleared his throat and sat properly on the floor before he continued.

“So, I haven’t been the nicest to you. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you just tolerated me. Like not like me or hate me just tolerated me. And I admit, I began to really dislike you since you were just so up and down all the time. One day, we’ll be opening up to each other and I would finally see just a little bit of what goes on in your head and then the next, we’re yelling at each other and not being able to see eye to eye. I swear no drama had a better storyline than ours.” Seungmin chuckled but still regretted ever acting that way towards him. He knew he had acted like an asshole from the get-go. He had no proper excuse.

“But then, you tried running away and I panicked and I made you hate me. And then Jeongin said that you wanted to sleep next to him and be held and stuff and I kind of threw myself in there. I’m sorry if you didn’t want me there but I like being held and I didn’t want you to feel left out so why not do a three-way cuddle? That’s just what went through my head.”

“I didn’t mind it. I was a little surprised but honestly, I slept really well last night.” Hyunjin smiled shyly.

“Me too.” Hyunjin hugged himself as he thought about what he was going to say next. “Um…so back to what I wanted to say. I actually was thinking of saying this weeks ago but then everything happened and I thought I changed my mind but I don’t think I ever really did.

“The thing is, Seungmin-ah, I really like you. You’re very sarcastic and you may have a bit of a dark humor but I like that about you. Everyone always babied me because of my feet but you never did and in a way, I found that refreshing.”

“You like me? Like actually like me or…like a friend?”

“Uhh, what were you hoping I meant?” Hyunjin rubbed the back of his neck.

“What…” Hyunjin sighed and decided to just bite the bullet.

“I like you like how Changbin likes Felix, how Minho likes Jisung, how Woojin likes Chan. And how Jeongin likes you.” Seungmin’s eyes widened as Hyunjin motioned over to the door where Jeongin was standing there with a bit of his face popping out of the door. Jeongin gave him a timid smile and bowed his head down.

“What? Wait, what’s going on? I’m confused.”

“Listen, I know it’s a lot to take in but just hear us out. Jeonginnie, come sit here.” Hyunjin pushed away the box and a small pile of clothes for Jeongin to sit in front of them both. Jeongin hadn’t looked at Seungmin in the eyes yet.

“So, a few weeks ago, when we were upset at each other, Jeongin and I talked about something. It was about you and me and him, possibly all being together.” Hyunjin said slowly, trying to not scare off Seungmin. “I’ll admit I didn’t like the idea of being with you at the time. But Jeongin said he couldn’t be with just me if he felt something for you, too. It was confusing for the both of us as well but we figured we wouldn’t make any decisions until we talked to you too.”

“We also don’t know if you would even want to date guys let alone two at the same time. But we figured we could give it a shot.” Jeongin said finally looking up at Seungmin.

“Wow…wow…” Seungmin was truly speechless for the first time in his life.

“Is that a bad wow?” Hyunjin asked him.

“I…this is a lot.” Hyunjin and Jeongin deflated a little.

“We know. We wouldn’t blame you if you get weirded out by us now.” Jeongin said.

“…I just need some time to think, please.” They both nodded.

“Yeah, of course. Um,..” Jeongin looked at Hyunjin.

“If you come up with an answer, good or bad, let us know. We promise we won’t take it personally if you don’t want to be with the both of us. We’ll understand.” Hyunjin gave him a small smile before standing up and leaving the room. Jeongin did the same shortly after and left Seungmin with a million and one thoughts going through his head. 

Not just one but two guys want to be in a relationship with him at the same time. How would that work? Will they be 3 boyfriends in one single relationship? It was an odd concept for Seungmin, a situation he’d never thought he’d be in. He honestly didn’t think he’d ever be in a relationship again after the world ended, but here he was. He had a lot of thinking to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall. I believe we have one chapter left 😭😭😭😭😭


	40. OT9 FINALE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof she's a long one! Last chapter y'all!

Woojin slashed through the hanging branches and red and yellow leaves as he ran through the woods. He saw Chan go this way but the guy was fast and he wasn’t sure if he made any turns. He must have if Woojin is struggling to get through so much. He didn’t go through here.

Woojin stopped and looked around, taking the time to see if he heard anything. He took a chance and yelled out his name.

“CHAN!” His voice echoed and the birds that hid in the trees flew in different directions.

“Fuck,” he cursed to himself. How could this have happened? Again?

 

That morning, they all decided to go back to their spot in the woods where they left the makeshift traps that they had made and the ones that they found at the store. Also, to do their daily collecting of sticks to burn through the winter. Woojin, Chan, Jeongin, and Jisung decided to do this run while the rest set up the rooms upstairs that they all decided to move into.

Woojin will admit he got a little too confident. The last run they did went along with no bumps. They did absolutely everything they had to do so he thought that this one would go just as good which was the only reason he allowed their youngest to go with them. Woojin should have at least thought about how the smell of freshly trapped and wounded animals would attract the zombies. He should’ve heard them before they even walked passed the tree line. 

Instead, Woojin barely had the time to push Jeongin out of the way before a zombie had tackled him. He fell backwards into Jeongin causing the both of them to fall over and for the zombie to trap them there. Jeongin couldn’t get his weapon out from where it was stuck under Woojin and the older’s weapon had fallen out of his hand upon impact.

“Chan hyung!!” Jeongin kept yelling out for him. On the other side of the tree line across the street, Chan and Jisung went to check the other set of traps that they had put there to have more of a chance of catching something. Jisung was the one to hear the first yell and grabbed Chan’s arm and told him to listen.

“Did you hear that?” Jisung spoke softly.

“Hear what?” Chan kept his gaze on him as they waited to see if they would hear it again. Chan felt a sense of déjà vu, waiting to see if what he heard was real and if it would happen again. A few seconds later, Chan heard his name being yelled out.

“That’s Jeongin!” Chan bolted back through the path that they walked down with Jisung following quickly behind him and ran across the street and into the other side. 

The yells got louder and progressively more desperate until Chan saw them. Woojin on top of Jeongin with two zombies trying to get to them and a few others making their way over.

“Jeongin, duck!” Jeongin tilted his head to the side and Chan swung his axe over the zombie close to him while Jisung got the one on top of Woojin. They kicked them off of them and helped them get up.

“We have to go. There’s more coming.” Jeongin whimpered as he stood up and waited to be told which way to run. Jisung joined his side as Chan helped Woojin stand up. Then the growls got closer and they were all forced to separate.

“Get to the car! We’ll meet you there!” Was the last thing Chan told them before they ran separate ways. Chan constantly looked back to make sure that Woojin was following him which would sometimes slow them down since Chan would trip over something or Woojin would bump into him.

“Chan, just run. I’m right behind you.” He told him. Woojin almost wished he hadn’t because Chan was faster on his feet and Woojin lost him. Damn it, how could he lose him?

 

Back at the car, Jisung and Jeongin made it and threw themselves in as the zombies that followed them caught up. They slammed their dirty hands all over the windows, making Jeongin struggle to catch his breath even more.

“There’s so many of them. Woojin hyung and Chan hyung can’t make it through them when they get here.” Jeongin said.

“We’re going to have to lead them away.” Jisung said as he started the car.

“Where are we going? We can’t leave them!”

“We won’t. But I need to drive these shit heads away first.” Jisung began driving the car slowly, waiting for the zombies to catch before he drove forward some more. 

“Keep your eye at the tree line. Tell me if they come back.” Jeongin nodded and sat on his knees to look behind them. Jisung eventually drove them out far enough to the point that Jeongin couldn’t see where they first entered the woods. He turned around and booked it out of there, stopping at the entrance point that they had marked with a red bandana nailed to a tree trunk.

“Do you think we missed them?” Jisung asked.

“I was looking up until I couldn’t see anymore. I don’t know if they came by.”

“We’ll wait a while then. If those zombies come back, I think we’re going to have to go and regroup.” Jisung said. Jeongin let out a shaky sigh. He really wasn’t cut out for this.

 

Woojin kept yelling out for Chan’s name, waiting for a reply but when nothing came, he groaned in pain and crouched down with his hands on his knees. He had hurt his back one too many times and it was finally catching up to him. He remembered how the pain started. When he was at the diner and the zombie pushed him back towards the table, then when Changbin beat him up, his back hit the ground hard enough to hurt more than his face did somehow, and now, when he fell backwards onto Jeongin, the younger’s feet dug into his lower back and his weapon that he was trying to break free was poking at him, too. He never told anyone about his back pain thinking that if they find out and make him stop going on so many runs, then who would take his place? He couldn’t allow for anyone else to do what he did so he stayed quiet.

He struggled to stand up straight again and realized he shouldn’t stop. If he stops, it’ll be harder to get back up so he kept going. He yelled for Chan occasionally as he went towards where he thought was towards the road but when he began hearing water, he knew he was going the wrong way. Still, he walked towards it. Maybe Chan made it here, too. 

The dirt turned into big rocks and the tree turned into a clearing where a lake with a waterfall resided. Woojin sighed as he saw the water. He couldn’t remember the last time he took a proper shower let alone a bath. Should he really be doing this? His boyfriend was somewhere in the woods, he didn’t know where Jeongin and Jisung are and all he could think of was dipping into the water? No, he can’t. He had to keep going. Woojin began backing away when his foot got caught on something and he began falling backwards. He anticipated the pain he was about to feel but it wasn’t nothing like how it actually felt. It felt like he was being ripped apart, and in a way, he was. The rocks had torn through his jacket and shirt and dug deep into his lower back. He screamed though no one could hear him.

Tears began streaming out of his eyes and it wasn’t because of the pain. He thought he’d never see the others again. That this is what he gets for all the choices that he has made. He can’t even imagine getting up now, not when even breathing hurt. He opened his eyes and he was met by the sky, the trees swaying with the soft breeze. It felt peaceful. If this is how he went, at least he had a nice view. But deep in his mind, there were a few people that wouldn’t let him rest peacefully. They kept telling him to get up, that they need him. And one of them kept telling him that he can’t leave him like that, that he loves him and needs to see him again. Woojin began closing his eyes as a few more tears fell.

“Channie, I’m sorry.”

 

Chan was running where he last heard a yell. It was Woojin. Chan knew it was him. It sounded like he was in pain but it was muffled slightly by the sound of the waterfall. 

“WOOJIN!” Chan yelled at the top of his lungs. Surely, Woojin should have heard him, right? He sounded so close but no response came.

“WOOJIN!” He tried again. He stopped running and just listened. He put a hand over his mouth so his heavy breathing wouldn’t deter him from hearing any bit of sound that let him know where Woojin was. Chan clenched his teeth in frustration. Why wasn’t he responding back?

He kept walking along the rocks and looked in every direction but was not able to see any sign of life. A few seconds later, he heard rustling behind him and he whirled around, a smile almost reaching his lips expecting to see his boyfriend but instead, a zombie was there. Chan gasped at the sight of this one. Fresh blood on its mouth, a knife stuck in its throat, and it was missing a hand. Chan cringed at the sight of it and immediately swung his axe, successfully killing it. Chan watched it go down before he looked at his surroundings, once more screaming out Woojin’s name. Nothing.

“Damn it,” Chan whined. He beginning to panic, his eyes were starting to water, and he began feeling hopeless. He was completely and utterly lost in the middle of the woods next to a killed zombie. Where did he go from here? Chan decided to go down to the lake to wash himself from the blood and drink some of the water hoping it’ll clear his mind enough to start searching again. 

He carefully climbed down the small but steep hill of rocks and got to the water. He set his axe down and washed his hands as best as he could first. He waddled a few ways down to drink the cleaner water from there and threw some over his head and face hoping it’ll help. Fall might be on its way but during the day, it was still hot. 

Chan sighed before standing up and looking up at the trees above the rocks. How did he even get there? Maybe if he just kept going the opposite way of the water, he’ll find himself back in the road. Chan turned around and grabbed his axe then looked for a spot that would be easiest to climb. He looked to his right then to his left until his eyes caught the sight of a foot. A huge boulder was hiding the rest of it but he was curious. Was it a zombie or an actual person maybe sleeping? 

As silently as he could, he walked over to see what it was. The last thing he expected to see was the familiar black jacket and the axe that matched his to be the first things he noticed. He dropped his own axe in shock.

“Woo…Woojin?” He said softly. He didn’t respond. “Woojin?” He spoke a little louder. Maybe he didn’t hear him the first time. “Woojin!” He kept saying his name louder and louder, not finding the strength to go up to him yet. Chan began sobbing as Woojin’s body remained unmoving.

“No,” he cried. “Woojin, please.” Chan struggled to breathe as he sobbed even harder. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to walk up to him. His eyes were closed and his head was laying in a way that Chan knew wasn’t comfortable.

“Woojin, please wake up.” Chan said once he got close enough to him. When he didn’t respond, Chan felt all hope leave him at once. He gently touched Woojin’s hand and it didn’t take much force to get him to let go of the axe. He set it down next to him before he gently lifted Woojin’s body so he could sit behind him and hold him. Chan put a hesitant two fingers up to his pulse on his neck and nearly collapsed when he didn’t feel anything. He moved his fingers around until he felt it. It was very light but it was there. He let out a huge sigh of relief then hovered his hand over Woojin’s nose and mouth to see if he was still breathing. He was.

“Damn it. Woojin, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Chan’s decided. It would be difficult, but he was going to carry Woojin all the way back up to the road. He didn’t expect the car to still be there, but he knew the way back and he was prepared to bring the both of them home. The biggest obstacle Chan found was the rocks. He needed both of his hands to get up those rocks. He will find a way. Slowly, he began getting up from behind Woojin until he noticed how messed up the back of his jacket looked. He put two and two together and figured he must have fallen and got knocked out. 

“Shit,” Chan said as he looked over Woojin’s head but didn’t see any amount of blood or wound on it. Why did he pass out then? Either way, Chan had no time to think about that yet. He needed to get them back home.

 

 

Jisung was looking at one side of the tree line while Jeongin was looking at the other.

“How long do you think we’ve been here?” Jeongin asked Jisung.

“Maybe…30 minutes? Maybe a little more.”

“Hyung,…I don’t want to go home without them.”

“Neither do I. But we can’t just go, guns metaphorically blazing, and hope for the best. What if we get lost, too?”

“I don’t want to go home and tell them the other two didn’t come back and we have to go back for them. We’ve done that too many times.”

“Well it’s like Woojin hyung said, we work better as a team.” Jeongin sighed. He had a point. 

“Okay, let’s go really quick then.” Jeongin looked nervous as he said that. What if they come back and they’re gone? But it’s a chance they had to take. When they got there, Jisung just parked the car in the driveway, not wanting to waste time by parking it backwards over the grass like they usually do. They ran up to the door and began knocking on it.

“Guys! Open up! Quick!” Eventually Minho threw the door open and looked at the both of them wide eyes.

“What happened? Are you okay? Jisung, are you okay?” Minho looked over him until Jisung pushed his prodding hands away and then Minho switched to Jeongin as Jisung explained.

“The traps seemed to have attracted the zombies and we ended up separating. We got to the car but the other two are still in there somewhere unless they’re here. Are they here?”

“No,” Minho shook his head before turning around and grabbing Changbin who was at the front of the group formed in the hallway.

“We have to go find them.”

“I think it’s best if we all go.” Jeongin said.

“Why all?”

“It’s a forest. We need to make sure none of us get lost so I think we should make like a chain and always stay within yelling distance.”

Okay, fine. Come on. Everyone in the car.” The boys scrambled to get their shoes on and grab their weapons before they were all piling into the car. Minho drove the car with Jeongin sitting on top of Felix in the passenger and the other sitting in the back with all the seats pulled down. That was the only way they could all fit. Jeongin had high hopes that they would be waiting for them at the meetup point when they got there but they weren’t.

“Okay. So, here’s the plan.” Minho said as he made a u turn to have the car already facing in the direction towards the house before parking it.

“Changbin and I will go as far as we can, Felix and Hyunjin will be next, Jeongin and Seungmin will be next and Jisung stay by the tree line. If they come by, tell us, all right?” When everyone agreed, they got out of the car and wasted no time in going. Minho and Changbin went in first and the other’s followed, some stopping in a specific spot to wait there. 

They yelled for both Chan and Woojin’s name as they went through the woods.

Eventually, when Minho shouted for Chan, somebody responded.

“Over here! Minho! Here!” Minho and Changbin ran towards the sound and found the two at the edge of the rocks over a lake.

“Oh my god, what happened? Is he okay?” Changbin asked as him and Minho grabbed one of Woojin’s arms and pulled him onto the dirt before helping Chan up as well.

“I don’t know. We got separated and I kept yelling for him but he wouldn’t yell back. Then I found him here, passed out. I think he fell, maybe hit his head but I don’t see any blood.”

“We’ll figure that out. Right now, we need to get back to the house. Are you okay to walk?” Chan nodded and then they all focused on Woojin.

“Okay, Changbin, you lead us. Chan grab his legs.” Together, they brought Woojin up to the first two boys. Felix and Hyunjin looked shocked to see the state of them. Chan was still wet from when he was cleaning off and the both of them had leaves and scuff marks from the shrubbery that they forced themselves through. 

“Questions later. We need to get to the house first.” Minho said. His only thought was getting out of the woods. It wasn’t safe there especially with the traps attracted the walkers. Soon, they got to Jeongin and Seungmin and then to Jisung. Chan couldn’t feel relieved even when Woojin was safely in the car and they were making their way home again. He didn’t care how cramped he was with Woojin sat in between his legs and the other 4 boys sitting around him. He didn’t even feel relieved when they got to the house and Jeongin gave up the double bed for Woojin to lay on. He didn’t feel relieved when Hyunjin passed him a bottle of water and a bowl of food to recharge. He barely touched it, feeling like he will just throw it back up with how sick he felt.

The last thing he expected was for Woojin to get hurt. In Chan’s eyes, he was so strong, barely ever made a mistake, always knew what he was doing. Chan just wanted him to wake up so he could ask him the million questions going through his head.

At the entrance of the hallway, Jisung and Minho looked at them. Minho recalled being in that position, laying next to Jisung praying he woke up and Jisung felt such sadness then. Sadness for Chan and Woojin and for Minho. It felt like he was projecting watching them.

“Woojin hyung is going to wake up, Channie hyung.” Jisung tried reassuring him. “He’s the strongest out of all of us.” His words of comfort fell on deaf ears and Jisung didn’t really expect anything more. Jisung looked over at Minho who looked indifferent. To anyone else, they’d just say that Minho was sad but Jisung knew by the fire behind Minho’s eyes, he was mad. Jisung put a hand on Minho’s arm and when the older looked at him, Jisung motioned for him to follow him up the stairs and into their room.

Jisung waited for Minho to close the door before talking.

“Why are you upset?”

“Are you really asking me that? Did you not see Woojin?”

“Not that. You know what I’m talking about. You’re angry. Why?”

“This should not have happened. How could they have been running together and get separated? And then Woojin out of all people fall over the rocks? That doesn’t sound right.”

“What are you insinuating then, Minho?” Jisung was starting to get frustrated with Minho as well.  
 

“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m just saying that this shouldn’t have happened.”

“A lot of things shouldn’t have happened. The apocalypse shouldn’t have happened. Me being alive right now shouldn’t have happened after my heart literally stopped. But I am. And so will Woojin. If you’re going to have this attitude, don’t be around Chan. He doesn’t need that.” As Jisung went to walk around Minho, the older stopped him.

“Jisung-ah, just listen to me.”

“I understand why you would be upset. You’re tired of shit like this happening. But we can’t give up. And it’s useless to get angry. That won’t make things any better.” Jisung didn’t walk away yet. Instead he let Minho digest his words before he nodded.

“You’re right. But I can’t help what I feel or think. I’m going to stay up here a while.” Jisung felt a bit disappointed but he appreciated Minho’s honesty.

“Okay. I’ll bring you dinner when it’s ready.” Minho nodded and looked at Jisung, silently asking him for something. Jisung sighed and opened up his arms. Minho, without hesitation, walked into them and they held each other for a moment.

“I didn’t ask you how you felt. Are you okay?”

“Honestly, no. We don’t know what happened with Woojin, not even Chan. We don’t know why he hasn’t woken up yet. And I guess the fact that it’s him is what’s making me feel this way. I don’t want to think that we’ll lose him but if we do, we’ll lose Chan too. They’re like our leaders. What will we do without them?” Jisung began crying as he voiced his thoughts. Minho didn’t know how to respond since he didn’t have the answers and he shared the same thoughts, too. So, he just held him, let Jisung cry as much as needed to.

 

In the dining room, Seungmin, Jeongin, and Hyunjin sat on one side of the table. Seungmin mindlessly drew on the sheet of paper in front of him with a dull pencil. They could hear Chan’s cries from there. Hyunjin didn’t expect for it to affect him so much but it did and he began crying into his arms that he laid on the table. Seungmin and Jeongin reacted quickly and put comforting hands on his back.

“Hey, shh, shh. Don’t worry. It’s like Jisung said. Woojin’s strong. He’ll wake up.” Seungmin tried reassuring him.

“We don’t know that.” Hyunjin choked out. Seungmin sighed and looked at Jeongin. There was nothing that they could really say to comfort him especially when all of them were thinking and going through the same thing so they kept quiet and kept a hand over Hyunjin’s back.

After a while, Seungmin spoke up.

“I know this isn’t the right time to talk about this but when is it really. Um…I think I had enough time to think about what you guys said yesterday. And I have something to say if you guys are up to hearing it.” Hyunjin lifted his head and wiped his eyes before nodding and giving him his full attention. Jeongin leaned forward and did the same. Seungmin took a deep breath and continued.

“Okay, so,…” Seungmin sighed. “I don’t even know where to begin. Um, well, first off, I like you guys too. I admit it took me a while to figure that out but when I really thought about it, I kinda got jealous. Like you two would always be cuddling but when we had our time together, I felt happy. Even if we fought a lot, Hyunjin-ah. And for all the things that I said to you both, I’m really sorry. I tend to get too emotional and I say things without thinking and I end up hurting people’s feelings. You two didn’t deserve that.

“I guess I kinda gave up on the idea of ever being with any of you since you had each other so I just…I don’t know. Gave up. Like I said. I didn’t expect either of you to say that you liked me especially not the both of you together and then say that we can be in a 3-way relationship. I honestly thought I wouldn’t ever find someone to be with since the world’s gone to shit but…I’m glad it’s you guys.” Seungmin smiled at them and they both smiled at him back.

“I think we still have some things to work around. I need to learn to communicate better and not be such an asshole all the time.”

“But don’t change too much. Your sarcasm and all is what made us like you in the first place.” Hyunjin said with another smile.

“Yeah, it’s kind of like…a breath of fresh air in a way. And we’re all so different, but I think we go with each other well.” Hyunjin agreed with Jeongin.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.” Seungmin smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “So um,…I guess I’ll ask.” Seungmin took a deep breath before he groaned and covered his face in embarrassment.

“Oh, my god, I’m so bad at this.” He whined. The other two boys giggled and Hyunjin’s pulled back his hands.

“How about this? I’ll ask you and you ask him and he asks me.” Hyunjin pointed to each of them respectively. Jeongin grinned and nodded, getting excited. So Hyunjin turned and faced Seungmin.

“Seungminnie,” Hyunjin said in his aegyo voice. Seungmin once again tried to hide his face but Hyunjin held it in his hands. “Will you be Hyunjinnie’s boyfriend?” 

“Oh, my gaaah, no. Not anymore. Not after that.” Seungmin laughed. Hyunjin giggled but then forced himself to look upset.

“Why not?” Seungmin just made a noise and flapped his hands a little.

“Fine. I’ll be your boyfriend, Hyunjin-ah.” Hyunjin giggled and clapped his hands before hiding his face.

“Okay, okay. Now your turn.” He moved back so Seungmin could see Jeongin perfectly. Jeongin had a wide grin on his face and he was already beginning to laugh nervously.

“Um, Jeongin-ah,” Jeongin nodded. Hyunjin decided to grab one of Seungmin’s hands and one of Jeongin’s and force them to touch. As the boys laughed, Hyunjin held their intertwined hands in his and waited for them to continue.

“Okay, Jeongin, will you be my boyfriend?” Jeongin was already nodding before Seungmin finished his question.

“Yes. Yes, I will.” Jeongin squealed and tried hiding his face with his free hand before he faced Hyunjin.

“Okay, one more.”

“One more?! Don’t say it like that!” Hyunjin whined. Jeongin shook his head but then when Hyunjin settled down, he asked him.

“Hyung, will you be my boyfriend?” Jeongin tilted his head to the side and gave Hyunjin his best puppy dog eyes.

“That’d be nice, Jeonginnie.” After 2 seconds, they all lost their minds and only quieted down because Changbin and Felix looked around the corner at them. Felix had a smile on his face and Changbin tried holding back his.

“You asked him?” Felix asked Hyunjin. Hyunjin nodded and Seungmin looked at him in confusion.

“You told him?”

“I needed advice, okay! Anyways, let’s not think about that now.” Hyunjin leaned forward and hugged Seungmin and a giggly Jeongin got out of his seat and stood behind the both of them and hugged them too.

 

“They’re so cute.” Felix said more to himself than to anyone but Changbin agreed.

“Let’s go back though. We shouldn’t leave Chan hyung alone.” Felix nodded and they went back into the room to see that Chan had fallen asleep next to Woojin with a hand over his stomach to make sure he was still breathing. Changbin took a moment to make sure that his hand was moving up and down before sitting on the couch next to Felix.

“At least one good thing happened today.” He said. Felix hummed in response. They sat in a comfortable silence, the both of them eventually adjusting so the both of them were laying down. Changbin rested half of his body on top of Felix so they both could fit.

“We should sleep down here today. When Woojin hyung wakes up, we can go to our room.” Felix said. They had spent the majority of their day clearing up and making their room comfortable for the both of them. They followed what Minho and Jisung did and made a fort around their bed. Their new double bed that they decided to take from the neighbor’s house. Why they didn’t think of doing that before, they don’t know but they’re not even going to sleep on it yet.

As Changbin looked at the other two, he was brought back to when Felix got shot. Changbin couldn’t leave his side until he woke up so he couldn’t blame Chan for acting the way he was. But Felix woke up, so did Jisung. So Woojin had to wake up, too. Right?

Changbin lifted his head up enough to kiss Felix’s lips. Felix didn’t question it but he was wondering what was going on in Changbin’s head. He’ll ask him later. Changbin rested his head over Felix’s chest and closed his eyes. He basked in the feel of his fingers running through his hair and let it lull him to sleep.

 

 

The next morning, things weren’t much different. The trio were inseparable, Minho refused to leave his room, Chan refused to leave Woojin’s side and between Changbin, Felix, and Jisung, they separated the housework. Felix was in charge of taking care of the plants while Changbin and Jisung prepared their breakfast.

Although he doubted Chan would eat his food, Jisung replaced Chan’s barely touched dinner with the fresh bowl of canned meat. It didn’t taste the best but they can’t be picky nowadays.

Just like Jisung predicted, Chan didn’t touch it long after the others finished their food. Eventually, they all gathered around the living room, each doing different things. Jeongin and Seungmin sat close to each other and talked while Hyunjin and Jisung tried making a house of cards on the rug. Hyunjin was on his stomach while Jisung was sitting with his legs crossed. Changbin and Felix played a different card game with another set of cards. They wanted to give each other a sense of normality to try and ease the tension of whether or not Woojin would wake up today.

Chan eventually sat up and watched as the boys continued playing with Hyunjin and Jisung occasionally groaning in annoyance when their house of cards fell apart.

“All of these cards are bent or something. Can we switch?” Hyunjin asked Changbin and Felix.

“We’re in the middle of the game. We’ll switch when it’s done.” Felix said, not taking his eyes off of his cards. Hyunjin huffed and then they tried for the hundredth time to redo their house. 

A few minutes later found Minho at the entrance of the hallway. He shuffled over until he sat down next to Jisung. The older gave him a small smile and Jisung smiled back.

“Help us make a house of cards. It’s difficult.” Hyunjin whined to him and pushed all the cards towards him.

“That’s because you got no skills, Hyunjin-ah.” Minho said, taking two cards and putting them together. Hyunjin gave him a playful glare but chose not to respond. Hyunjin felt a tap on his butt and he turned around to see Seungmin with a mischievous smile and motioning for him to get closer. Hyunjin got up on his knees and got closer just for Seungmin to kiss him on the cheek. Hyunjin squealed and fell over, landing on both of their laps. The others looked over and Seungmin just told them everything was fine, that Hyunjin was being a drama queen.

“Why would you not warn me first?” Hyunjin whined as the blush on his face grew deeper.

“What’s the fun in that? By the way, Jeongin has something to say to you.” Hyunjin looked up at Jeongin who blushed under his gaze.

“It’s a secret. Come here.” Hyunjin fell for it and leaned his ear closer to Jeongin just for the latter to kiss his cheek as well. Hyunjin malfunctioned and fell backwards onto the rug and accidentally knocked over the house of cards that got to the biggest that it has gotten until he destroyed it.

“Ah, damn it, Hyunjin! We just got to the third level!” Jisung smacked Hyunjin’s leg that was still trapping the cards under it but Hyunjin played dead. He could feel his face continuously getting warmer and reveled in the sound of Jeongin and Seungmin’s laughs. Even Chan broke a smile but no one saw it.

Chan wished he could celebrate their new relationship. Maybe he will when Woojin wakes up. He had so much left to say to him, Woojin wouldn’t leave him hanging like that. All night, he tried to convince himself of that. He replayed what Jisung said, that he was the strongest out of all of us so of course he’ll wake up. But there has been no change all night up until that moment. He was still unconscious, but at least he was still breathing. Chan occasionally checked his pulse and it had gotten stronger. He just needed to see his eyes before running away with the thought of Woojin being okay.

A few minutes later, Chan watched as Hyunjin sat in between Seungmin and Jeongin blushing and giggling at whatever they were talking about, Minho and Jisung moved on to playing hangman with the newly sharpened pencil and Changbin and Felix moved on to playing Uno. They all looked happy with their partners. Chan truly was glad that they all found love. Even Chan found love. And he found Felix, and he made 7 new friends, forever friends as he liked to call them. He’d like for them to stay as 9 for as long as possible.

Maybe it was fate, maybe it was just a coincidence, but as Chan looked down at Woojin, in that moment, his eyes began moving under his eyelids. Chan froze and kept looking. Woojin hasn’t done that yet. What does this mean? His breathing didn’t necessarily quicken but it got louder. No one noticed this change except for Chan.

Woojin’s eyelids eventually began trying to blink open. Chan held his breath as he saw those beautiful brown eyes. He watched as Woojin opened his eyes just to immediately close them with how sore he felt overall. He grunted once which caught the attention of everyone else. Nobody moved and nobody spoke. Chan was still frozen next to him.

“Since when…is it this quiet?” Woojin croaked out. Chan let out a sob and he brought his knees up to his chest and his hands up to his eyes and cried. 

“Hyung,” the boys gathered around them as Woojin continued trying to blink his eyes open until they could stay open properly.

“Chan,” Woojin called for him but Chan couldn’t get it together enough to stop crying.

“Chris, it’s okay.” Felix went up to him, pushed his untouched bowl of food aside and hugged Chan to him.

“We got really scared for you, hyung.” Jisung told him.

“Yeah, what happened?” Minho asked him.

“I fell. I got down the rocks and I went to go back up and I fell backwards. I hurt my back really bad.” Woojin confessed, feeling like he couldn’t move.

“How bad?” Hyunjin asked.

“Well…it’s been hurting for a while but it was tolerable. But then I fell, and...it just hurts a lot.” Woojin hissed as he tested it out. Chan flew into action and a put a hand over Woojin’s chest.

“Don’t move then.” Chan sniffed and moved so he was laying down facing Woojin again, keeping his hand over his chest. Woojin moved his arm so he could grab Chan’s hand.

“Why did you never tell us that your back has been hurting?”

“I didn’t want you guys to worry. Plus, like I said, it was tolerable. I could still run and all. But I’m admitting now that I can’t fake it anymore.” Chan nodded as a few more tears fell. “God, I wish I could wipe your tears away right now.” Chan scoffed and wiped his own tears away.

“You know this will take a long time to heal.” Woojin sighed.

“Yeah…”

“Hey, at least when it snows, we can use some of it to put on your back.” Seungmin said. It was quiet for a moment before Woojin chuckled which started a chain reaction of everyone laughing.

“Ow,” Woojin whined even though he was still laughing.

“Take it easy, babe.” Chan told him gently.

“Mm, sorry I scared you guys. And that I wasn’t completely honest with you all. I just didn’t want to make any of you do the runs for me. And I should’ve been more careful out there.”

“Let’s not talk about that anymore, all right? Point is, you’re awake. You’ll be in pain for a while but we’ll get through it together, yeah? Like we always do.” Chan leaned forward and kissed Woojin’s forehead. Woojin nodded and looked into Chan’s eyes.

“Are they going to kiss?” Jeongin whispered.

“They’re totally going to kiss.” Hyunjin said, staring at the two almost creepily.

“Can you look away at least?” Chan asked them. The boys groaned but either turned their heads or covered their eyes with their hands. Last second, Hyunjin looked through the gaps between his fingers and then squealed in playful disgust as he saw them kiss.

“Ew!!! Mom and dad just kissed!” He said.

“Hey!! We’re both the dads!” Chan said amidst all the laughter. Hyunjin didn’t listen and kept calling them mom and dad. Chan didn’t really care to correct him again and instead kissed Woojin a few more times, creating another uproar by the kids but he didn’t care. 

He figured it will always be like this. They’ll be good times and bad times but as long as they had each other, they can get through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg....this is it. nfjkdsnksd y am i sad
> 
> this was a wild ride. i literally updated like every day except yesterday. this is unheaRD OF from me.
> 
> anyways, thank you all sooooooo much for reading this long ass story and thank you to those who have been following along every day as i updated. also thank you to those who commented! I loved reading your comments and recognizing your usernames <3333
> 
> 40 chapters and over 80,000 words. i'm so frickin shocked at myself naofdmkgsfogs i really did that.
> 
> anyways i love you thank you mwuah~~~!!! <3<3<3<3

**Author's Note:**

> i'm excited for this story so pls be excited with me. i read every comment and reply to 99% of them heheheheheh they may be late responses because my phone won't let me respond but i get the email notif on my phone so I DO READ THEM OKAY. EVERY. ONE. OF. THEM. and i appreciate them!! luv u mwuah


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